| Wolfsbane | |
|---|---|
 Wolfsbane as depicted on the cover ofX-Factor vol. 3 #11 (November 2006). Art byRyan Sook. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The New Mutants (September 1982) |
| Created by | Chris Claremont Bob McLeod |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Rahne Sinclair |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Team affiliations | X-Force X-Factor Investigations Paragons Excalibur X-Factor New Mutants Hellions Xavier Institute X-Men |
| Abilities | Ability toshapeshift into awolf-like humanoid or into a full wolf at will |
Wolfsbane (Rahne Sinclair) is asuperhero appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. The character is commonly associated with theX-Men.[1] A Scottishmutant, Wolfsbane can transform into awolf or a transitional state somewhere between human and wolf, similar to awerewolf. She honed her powers to shift between human and wolf characteristics but must keep her feral instincts at bay when she does.
She was initially a member of the X-Men's original junior team, theNew Mutants. Later on, she joined thePentagon-sponsoredX-Factor and was also associated with the British superhero teamExcalibur. She appeared for a time as a teacher at Xavier's Academy inNew X-Men, then served as a member of theX-Factor Investigations detective agency, until she joined the newest incarnation ofX-Force. The character later returned to X-Factor and made several appearances as a member of the X-Men before rejoining the New Mutants.
Wolfsbane has made minor appearances inanimated television, and made herlive-action debut in the 2020 filmThe New Mutants, portrayed byMaisie Williams.
Created by the writerChris Claremont and artistBob McLeod, Wolfsbane first appeared inThe New Mutants (September 1982), part of thelineMarvel Graphic Novel.[2] She starred as a founding member of theNew Mutants and features in nearly the entire run ofThe New Mutants (1983-1991), her last issue being #97. When the original five X-Men left X-Factor to rejoin the X-Men, Wolfsbane was recruited to join when it became a government operation inX-Factor #71 (October 1991) and was featured as a team member through issue #111 (February 1995) before the title was interrupted by the "Age of Apocalypse" crossover. Afterward, Wolfsbane left X-Factor to visit herfoster motherMoira MacTaggart and joinedExcalibur, starting withExcalibur #90 (October 1995) and appearing through the title's conclusion with issue #125 (October 1998). She was a supporting character in the limited seriesWarlock vol. 5 (1999-2000), and then appeared sporadically inNew Mutants vol. 2 (2004) andNew X-Men (2004-2005). With the relaunch ofX-Factor vol. 3 (2006), Wolfsbane once again saw regular publication as a central team member between issues #1 and #28 (2006-2008), after which she was transferred to the secret strike teamX-Force in 2008. During herX-Force vol. 3 run, she became pregnant by theAsgardianHrimhari and this pregnancy caused her to return to X-Factor, starting withX-Factor #207 (September 2010). Much of her time inX-Factor was dedicated to her pregnancy and her son, Tier, with her last appearance being inX-Factor #258 (August 2013). Wolfsbane made subsequent appearances in various X-Men titles, includingX-Men Blue (2017),New Mutants: Dead Souls (2018), andUncanny X-Men vol. 5 (2019). The character was killed inUncanny X-Men vol. 5 #17 (July 2019), but was revived during theKrakoan Age and appeared regularly inNew Mutants vol. 4 (2020-2023).
Rahne (pronounced "Rain") Sinclair is born inUllapool, Scotland, the product of an illicit affair betweenPresbyterian ministerReverend Craig Sinclair and asex worker. She is delivered by Dr.Moira MacTaggert. Rahne's mother dies in childbirth and her father raises her as an orphan without revealing that she is his biological child.[3] When her mutant powers manifest, Reverend Craig leads anangry mob to burn her at the stake, believing her to be a werewolf. Rahne is rescued and later adopted by Dr. MacTaggert, who takes her to America to enroll atCharles Xavier'sSchool for Gifted Youngsters.[4]
Taking the alias Wolfsbane, Rahne is one of the original New Mutants. Although she is a shy, emotionally repressed girl, she builds a strong friendship withDanielle Moonstar and harbors a crush onCannonball.[4] Wolfsbane's strict religious upbringing often makes her uncomfortable when dealing with mythological entities, her sorceress teammateMagik, or demons, as well as being the root of her self-loathing over her mutant power. The clash between the intense joy of using her powers and her religious beliefs causes her inner turmoil. While in Asgard, she is disturbed to find herself attracted to Hrimhari, a shapeshifting wolf prince. Although he becomes her first serious love, she is unable to remain in Asgard without the rest of the New Mutants being forced to stay as well, so she returns to Earth with her teammates.[5][6] Wolfsbane eventually begins a relationship with her teammateCypher,[7] and is devastated when he is killed by theAni-Mator.[8] She later has a short-lived relationship with her teammateRictor.[volume & issue needed]
During the 1990 "X-Tinction Agenda" storyline, Wolfsbane is captured and brainwashed into slavery onGenosha.[9][10] She is ultimately freed by transforming into her transitional lupine form, but she is unable to revert to her human form without succumbing to her Genoshan conditioning.[11] After the fall of Genosha, Wolfsbane remains on the island withHavok to help rebuild[12] and both later join the government-sponsoredX-Factor.[13] She develops feelings for Havok, a result of her Genoshan brainwashing and the feral nature of her transitional wolf form, and grows extremely jealous of his relationship with their teammatePolaris.[14][15]
Wolfsbane appeared in the 1992 miniseriesThe Infinity War and its 1993 sequel,The Infinity Crusade. During the former, she is part of the rear guard who stay behind on Earth at theFantastic Four's headquarters and fight the various evil doubles that attack the building.[16] DuringThe Infinity Crusade, Wolfsbane's deep religious beliefs lead her to be approached by theGoddess. She, along with many other religious heroes, is brainwashed into joining the Goddess' army but her mind is restored by the series' conclusion.[17]
The effects of her Genoshan brainwashing are eventually completely undone byHaven and Wolfsbane can once again return to her human form.[18]
Wolfsbane leaves X-Factor[19] and travels to Moira MacTaggert's base onMuir Island to care for her after she contracts theLegacy Virus. While there, she joinsExcalibur[20] and develops deep friendships with her allies, particularlyColossus andShadowcat.[21] She overcomes much of her shyness, discovers the truth of her parentage in a confrontation with Reverend Craig,[3] and is abridesmaid at the wedding ofCaptain Britain andMeggan.[22] Following Excalibur's disbanding, she and teammate and love interestDouglock stay on Muir Island to assist Moira in her attempt to cure the Legacy Virus.[23]
Wolfsbane appears inWarlock vol. 5, in which she helpsWarlock (revealed to have been Douglock all along) and theAvengers defeatBastion.[24] Muir Island later comes under attack by theBrotherhood, resulting in Moira's apparent death,[25] the destruction of the island, and the suppression of Wolfsbane's mutant powers whenMystique shoots her with a version ofForge's Neutralizer.[26]
Wolfsbane spends some time motorcycling across the United States following the loss of her powers, becoming less introverted, growing out her hair, and losing her Scottishburr before returning to New York inNew Mutants vol. 2.[27][28] She is hired as a supervising staff member for theParagons at the Xavier Institute and becomes a part-time employee ofJamie Madrox's detective agency,X-Factor Investigations.[29][30]
During her appearances in bothNew Mutants vol. 2 andNew X-Men, Wolfsbane begins a relationship withElixir, a student at the Xavier Institute.[27] A passionate encounter between the two causes Elixir's mutant healing abilities to restore her powers.[31] Though she ends the relationship upon being hired at the institute, Elixir continues to pursue her and they resume seeing each other in secret. Wolfsbane breaks up with Elixir again upon learning that he is casually dating his classmateWallflower, but their unethical relationship is later exposed to the entire school byWither in an attempt to end Elixir's budding romance with Wallflower. She subsequently resigns from her position at the institute and her friendship with Dani Moonstar, Elixir's legal guardian, becomes strained.[32][33]
Wolfsbane joins the main cast ofX-Factor vol. 3, in which she begins working full-time for X-Factor Investigations and reunites with former love interest and New Mutants teammate Rictor, now depowered in the wake ofM-Day.[34] Many aspects of her previous persona return, including her close-cropped hairstyle and Scottish accent, and her devout Presbyterian religiosity remains a central aspect of her character.[35] During her time with the detective agency, she is attacked by the villainousTryp and given visions of a possible future in which her feral instincts become uncontrollable and drive her to murder Jamie Madrox andLayla Miller on their wedding day.[36] She later confides in X-FactorpsychiatristDoc Samson that she has considered killing herself to prevent this future from happening, conflicting with her religious beliefs on suicide.[37] Wolfsbane also rekindles her relationship with Rictor,[38] but their romance is cut short when she leaves X-Factor to join X-Force.[39]
During the 2007–2008 "Messiah Complex" storyline, Wolfsbane is enlisted to help track downCable and the infantHope Summers.[40] She also helps Rictor infiltrate thePurifiers and discovers that her father, Reverend Craig, has joined the anti-mutant organization.[41] During the climactic battle, Wolfsbane is injured byRiptide, but her wounds, according to Professor X, are superficial.[42]
Following the "Messiah Complex" storyline,X-Force was relaunched in early 2008, featuring Wolfsbane as a member of the eponymous team. During an assault on the Purifiers' base, she is captured and brainwashed into a sleeper agent, compelled to specifically attack and mutilateAngel. In a subsequent confrontation with the Purifiers, Reverend Craig inadvertently triggers Wolfsbane's programming and, in her feral state, she attacks and devours him.[43]
When the team decides that the psychological trauma Wolfsbane has experienced is too great for her to bear, theStepford Cuckoos are summoned to undo her Purifier brainwashing. Before they can erase her traumatic memories of consuming her father, however, they are interrupted, and X-Force is sent on a mission, leaving Wolfsbane behind. While alone, she reunites and runs away with Hrimhari.[44] Still conflicted over her experience with the Purifiers, she is encouraged to forgive herself by the wolf prince.[45] After an intimate night, the two are attacked by a trio ofFrost Giants. They manage to defeat them and although seemingly unharmed, Wolfsbane faints.[46]
During the publication ofX-Force vol. 3, Wolfsbane appears in the "Secret Invasion" storyline as one of many heroes fighting off theSkrull invasion of San Francisco. She and the rest of X-Force are tasked with capturing one of the newSuper-Skrulls soBeast can study them to find a weakness.[47]
During the "Necrosha" storyline, the unconscious Wolfsbane is brought to Utopia for healing, where it is discovered that she is pregnant with Hrimhari's child and the accelerated pregnancy is threatening her life.[48] Desperate to save his lover and unborn child, Hrimhari trades his soul toHela in exchange for the revival of a comatose Elixir, condemning himself to life in Hel. In order to ensure she survives her pregnancy, Elixir alters Wolfsbane's DNA, enhancing her strength and senses.[49] Wolfsbane is subsequently removed from active duty on X-Force and decides to leave the team altogether.[50]
Wolfsbane returns to New York City to rejoin X-Factor Investigations, discovering her ex-boyfriend Rictor andShatterstar in an intimate embrace.[51] After a brief fight with Shatterstar, she decides to "save" Rictor's soul by claiming that he is the father of her child, not wanting him to be damned to Hell for homosexuality.[52] When the baby's true paternity is eventually revealed, she explains herself to Rictor, the two reconcile, and Rictor pursues his relationship with Shatterstar.[53]
Throughout her pregnancy, Wolfsbane is hounded by various gods and demons who want her powerful unborn child for their own ends.[54][55] She is abducted by Hrimhari's uncle, Agamemnon, and kept prisoner until she gives birth orally. The newborn immediately kills Agamemnon, alarming Wolfsbane with his brutality. Her repulsion frightens her baby, who runs away and is later found and adopted by the heroic werewolfJack Russell.[56]
Wolfsbane later feels immense remorse for abandoning her son[57] and comes to fear that her she will go to Hell for it.Siryn and Polaris take her to meet Father John Maddox, a duplicate of Jamie Madrox who has become a priest, who counsels her to let go of her self-pity and judgmental attitude and channel her negative energy into positivity.[58] With a new outlook, Wolfsbane searches for and reunites with her son, named Tier, and decides to leave X-Factor Investigations to live peacefully with him and Jack Russell.[59]
However, Wolfsbane and Tier are drawn back into conflict once more during the 2013 "Hell on Earth War" storyline. Tier's life becomes the focal point of a war for power among various rulers of Hell and he is ultimately killed by a soullessStrong Guy seeking to resurrectM.[60] A devastated and spiritually lost Wolfsbane is teleported to Father John's church, where she becomes a deacon.[61]
Wolfsbane appears inX-Men Blue during the 2017 "Secret Empire" storyline, in which she joins a mutant strike force assembled to resistHydra. Thanks toEmma Frost andMiss Sinister, she undergoes a secondary mutation that allows her to split her wolf form into five smaller wolves.[62]
Wolfsbane joins Magik's team of New Mutants in the 2018 limited seriesThe New Mutants: Dead Souls. During the series, she forgives fellow teammate Strong Guy, who has since reclaimed his soul, for killing her son. She is later infected by thetransmode virus along with the other New Mutants by Moonlock, the combined Dani Moonstar and Warlock.[63] A maddenedKarma sells her infected friends to the Office of National Emergency (O*N*E),[64] where they are forced into service asSentinel-like mutant hunters and killers.[65]
Wolfsbane and her infected teammates are eventually freed from O*N*E by the X-Men,[66] and later cured of the virus.[67] She participates in the defense of New York City during the "War of the Realms" storyline.[68] Eventually realizing she has "had enough of being a monster," she quits the team.[69] However, not long after, she is accosted by four young men who beat her to death upon realizing that she is a mutant. Her death is mourned by her former teammates.[70]
Wolfsbane is resurrected onKrakoa bythe Five, rejoins the New Mutants,[71] and receives therapy from Mirage.[72] When she questions why her son Tier has not been resurrected, she is told that his revival is not possible, likely due to his Asgardian heritage, much to her despair.[73] She plays a key role in freeing Amahl Farouk from the control of theShadow King[74] and aids Magik in her struggle over the throne ofLimbo.[75]
Wolfsbane is amutant with the ability to transform into a wolf at will, while retaining her human intelligence, or into a transitional form which combines human andlupine aspects.[76] While this ability islycanthropy, it is not magical in nature, but instead a complex biological function involving the mutant X-gene. She can change into a humanoid lupine form resembling awerewolf, or become an actualwolf. In either form, Wolfsbane has enhanced senses of hearing, sight, and smell (similar to those of a wolf's, but also superior to them); animal-like strength, agility, and reflexes; razor-sharp talons and fangs; and bestial instincts. In lupine form she can also see into theinfrared andultraviolet portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, thereby enabling her to perceive heat patterns and to see in the dark. In her lupine form she can also hear sounds and detect scents outside the normal human range. In her transitional form she is less agile than she is as a wolf, but stronger than she is in human form. In her transitional form she can speak, use herforepaws as hands and easily stand erect, and at least some of her senses remain superhumanly acute. Dani Moonstar's former telepathic talent, which enabled her to communicate with animals, allowed her to communicate with Wolfsbane to a limited degree when she was in her lupine form or "transitional" humanoid-wolf form; in lupine form Wolfsbane may have more difficulty understanding complex human concepts. Wolfsbane later learned to enter different transitional forms which vary slightly in appearance. In her "absolute" lupine form, she possesses superhuman strength and durability. She possesses regenerative abilities which allow her to recover from injuries in a few days which would incapacitate a normal human for weeks or months.
Wolfsbane's human form is normal in appearance, originally with the exception that her hair never grew more than a few centimeters long; this limitation has since been removed by a temporary biological change into a "mutate" by the Genengineer on the island of Genosha. The artificial mutation process Wolfsbane underwent caused her to act with animalistic savagery in her lupine and "absolute" forms. Wolfsbane was shown to exhibit her keen sense of smell while in human form,[77] sensing traces of blood and spit on teammate Strong Guy's hand, (identifying who the fluids belonged to) despite him having already wiped it clean. This was followed by Siryn's sonic-scream, leaving Wolfsbane's "doggy-ears...ringing for a week" implying her hearing is also enhanced in human form. Wolfsbane mentions to Rictor that she indeed has her wolf senses in her human form but changed the subject before explaining further.[78]
While a member of the second X-Factor team, Wolfsbane wears a special uniform made of "unstable molecules" that converts to a collar in her non-human forms.[volume & issue needed]
After Elixir alters her DNA in order for her to survive her pregnancy, Wolfsbane demonstrates greatly increased superhuman strength and durability to the point of being bulletproof.[49][79] Her senses are further heightened to the point that she is able to smell a missing teammate nearly a mile away and underground.[49] After giving birth to her child, these enhanced abilities fade and she returns to her original levels of strength and durability.[volume & issue needed]
After exposure to the Mothervine drug, Wolfsbane gained the ability to split her wolf form into five smaller wolves.[62] She has not demonstrated this ability since, implying the drug's effects were temporary.[citation needed]
In the alternate timeline of the 1995–1996 "Age of Apocalypse" storyline, Wolfsbane finds herself stuck in her lupine form and is a companion to theDark Beast. When this reality was revisited ten years later inX-Men: Age of Apocalypse (May-June 2005), Wolfsbane has been rescued and has begun to rediscover her humanity. She is now capable of shifting into her hybrid form but is still very feral in her mindset.[83]
In the alternate reality seen in the 2011 "Age of X" storyline, Wolfsbane is briefly sheltered from the government by theFantastic Four, but her presence is betrayed by theInvisible Woman after she accidentally attacksFranklin Richards, resulting in all of the team but Invisible Woman being arrested.[84]
An alternate future version of Wolfsbane from the timeline originated by the 1981 "Days of Future Past" storyline appears inExcalibur #94 (February 1996). She spends much of her time viewing recorded images of death and destruction. She, along with a few surviving friends, participates in a raid on aBlack Air facility.[85]
In the alternate reality of the 1998–2001 seriesMutant X, Wolfsbane works alongside many of her New Mutant counterparts, making a living as thieves, living in the sewers and calling themselves "Marauders." She and her friends barely survive a mission in which they steal container that, unbeknownst to them, containsDracula.[86]
An alternate universe version of Wolfsbane, along with alternates of her X-Factor teammates, appears inMys-Tech Wars #3 (May 1993) to fight alongside the heroes of the mainstream continuity. She does not survive through the violence that follows.[87]
TheUltimate Marvel version of Wolfsbane makes cameo appearances inUltimate X-Men. She is seen on a viewscreen in her human form and receives passing mention inUltimate X-Men #43 (May 2004), during the selection process forEmma Frost's Academy of Tomorrow. In issue #50 (October 2004), she is seen in her hybrid form at aConey Islandfreak show. In issue #95 (August 2008), however, it is revealed that theAlpha Flight memberSasquatch (who first appeared in the previous issue) is in fact Rahne Sinclair, making it her first named appearance. She and the rest of her team use a drug known as Banshee, which can induce a secondary mutation or enhance an existing mutation. While using the drug, Rahne can still revert to a more human appearance that resembles aSasquatch. Later in the same issue, she is injured byNightcrawler, who, while trying to teleport her away, severs half of her right arm.[88]
Wolfsbane appears in someWhat If...? stories:
An alternate reality version of Wolfsbane, named Princess Rain, appeared prominently in the 1991graphic novelWolverine: Rahne of Terra. Wolfsbane was transported to the magic-based world of Geshem by the "Mage" (Cable's counterpart) in exchange for the Princess Rain, her own counterpart, and brainwashed to make her believe herself to be Rain. This was done in an attempt to save the Princess from aprophecy which apparently said the Princess would die on her sixteenth birthday.Wolverine was taken there by the wizard Magnus (Geshem's version ofMagneto), who Magnus attempted to mind-control in an attempt to fulfill the prophecy. While there, Wolfsbane encountered counterparts of most of theNew Mutants, hallucinating that they were the versions she knew, and gradually remembering who she actually was. Meanwhile, Wolverine killed Magnus at the climax before they both returned home.[91]
In the 1995 sequel,Wolverine: Knight of Terra, Wolfsbane and Wolverine helped Queen Rain accept the "Beast" which gave her shapeshifting powers, as she was the only one who could control it (since she had rejected it, it had possessed someone else, transforming them into a version ofSabretooth). In this volume, the Queen's associates were counterparts to the X-Men, with the role of the Mage being taken byProfessor X's counterpart, the Shaman.[92]
In the alternate future ofX-Men: The End, Wolfsbane is one of the staff at the X-Mansion.[93] When Skrulls impersonating old X-Men enemies attack the mansion, Wolfsbane sacrifices herself to save many of the surviving children, making brief telepathic contact with and thus awakening the comatose Dani Moonstar as she dies.[94]
Rahne Sinclair appears inThe New Mutants, portrayed byMaisie Williams in her human form,[104][105] and trained wolf Chuck in her wolf form. This version enters a relationship withDanielle Moonstar over the course of the film.[106]
Wolfsbane appears as a playable character inMarvel Puzzle Quest.[107]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)| Creators | |
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| Founders | |
| Government Team | |
| X-Factor Investigations | |
| Serval | |
| Supporting | |
| Enemies | |
