Charon (Marvel Comics)

Last updated

Charon is a fictional villain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character made his sole appearance in the 1993 X-Factor Annual #8.

Contents

Fictional character biography

Early life

The real identity of Charon is Charlie Ronalds. As a young boy, Charlie witnessed his parents' death at the hands of a mutant (widely assumed to be Random). Enraged, Charlie flung himself at the mutant, threatening to kill him. The mutant spared Charlie because he had "never killed a kid before" and would rather not start. The mutant disappeared immediately afterwards. Charlie found himself orphaned, with all his relatives refusing to take him in. It would not be until much later that Charlie learned the reason that his relatives preferred to distance themselves from his mother. Charlie was raised in different foster homes and became a very bitter teenager with behavioral problems and a hatred of mutants, whom he blamed for his parents' death. The only teenager at his high school that he managed to make friends with at all was Guido Carosella, who later became the X-Factor member "Strong Guy". However, the friendship frayed immediately when Charlie discovered that Guido was a mutant. Dramatically, Guido was hit by a school bus and began to mutate. Enraged that his only friend turned out to be a mutant, Charlie picked up a huge rock and prepared to attack Guido with it. The plan backfired, however, as Guido violently spasmed, hitting Charlie in the process with the rock. Charlie ended up in the hospital, where he became interested in the occult after hearing nurses using a Ouija board next door. He recovered from his injury, but sustained a slight limp requiring him to use a cane for the rest of his life.

Adulthood and Confrontation with X-Factor

Charlie spent much of his adult life studying the occult arts and eventually made a deal with a being known as 'Cloot', a known demon of the Marvel Universe. According to the terms of the deal, Charlie Ronalds would be granted superhuman abilities to attack the members of X-Factor. In return, the Devil requested their souls. Charlie would function as the devil's Charon, ferrying souls to the underworld.[ volume & issue needed ]

Unfortunately, Charon's attempt to kill off the X-Factor team was unsuccessful. As he fought against the X-Factor, Strong Guy began to feel that he knew who Charon actually was. When he looked into Charon's eyes, he said, "Charlie...Is that you?" to which Charon replied, "Yes, I'm going to just kill you!"[ volume & issue needed ]

Realizing that Charon had no intention of honoring his promise of souls, the Devil promptly arrived at the scene and swallowed Charon, telling him that he would be reunited with his parents in hell. It was then that he revealed to Charon that his mother was a hussy and his father her manager.[ volume & issue needed ]

After the dramatic scene, Strong Guy stated that he "thought he knew" who Charon was, but he was not positive. [1] [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iceman (Marvel Comics)</span> Fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics

Iceman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and is a founding member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The X-Men #1. Iceman is a mutant born with superhuman abilities. He has the ability to manipulate ice and cold by freezing water vapor around him. This allows him to freeze objects, as well as cover his body with ice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">X-Factor (comics)</span> Comic book superhero team

X-Factor is a group of fictional mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Madrox</span> Comics character

James Arthur Madrox, also called the Multiple Man, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Len Wein, he first appeared in Giant-Size Fantastic Four #4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strong Guy</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Strong Guy is the alias of Guido Carosella, a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz and first appeared in The New Mutants #29.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sabretooth (character)</span> Comic book character

Sabretooth is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men, in particular as an enemy of the mutant Wolverine. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne, the character made his first appearance in Iron Fist #14. The original portrayal of Sabretooth was that of a non-powered serial killer, but was later written as a mutant possessing bestial superhuman abilities, most notably a rapid healing factor, razor-sharp fangs and claws, and superhuman senses. He is a vicious assassin, who was responsible for numerous deaths throughout history, both as a paid mercenary and for his personal pleasure. Accounts on how his enmity with Wolverine originated differs depending on different writers. One of the most common accounts is that Wolverine and Sabretooth were both participants of the Cold War supersoldier program Weapon X, and that Sabretooth saw Wolverine as competition and therefore antagonized him. While Wolverine is depicted as suppressing his more savage qualities, Sabretooth does the opposite and embraces them, until the events of the 2014 storyline "AXIS".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magneto (Marvel Comics)</span> Fictional character appearing in Marvel Comics publications and related media

Magneto is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The X-Men #1 as an adversary of the X-Men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quicksilver (Marvel Comics)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Quicksilver is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in the comic book The Uncanny X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The character has since starred in two self-titled limited series and has historically been depicted as a regular team member in superhero title The Avengers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Havok (comics)</span> Fictional character in Marvel Comics

Havok is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. He first appears in The X-Men #54, and was created by writer Arnold Drake and penciller Don Heck. Havok generates powerful "plasma blasts", an ability he has had difficulty controlling. One of the sons of Corsair, he is the younger brother of the X-Men's Cyclops, and the older brother of Vulcan. He often resents Cyclops's authoritarian attitude and reputation as a model member of the X-Men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blob (Marvel Comics)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

The Blob is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an adversary of the X-Men. A mutant originally depicted as a morbidly obese circus freak, the Blob claims to be immovable when he so desires. He possesses an extreme amount of pliable body mass, which grants him superhuman strength. Possessing the demeanor of a bully, he mostly uses his powers for petty crime on his own, and as a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants and Freedom Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graydon Creed</span> Comics character

Graydon Creed is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Brandon Peterson and first appeared in The Uncanny X-Men #299. He is the "baseline human" son of Sabretooth and Mystique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolfsbane (character)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Wolfsbane is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is commonly associated with the X-Men. A Scottish mutant, Wolfsbane can transform into a wolf or a transitional state somewhere between human and wolf, similar to a werewolf. She honed her powers to shift between human and wolf characteristics but must keep her feral instincts at bay when she does.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mephisto (Marvel Comics)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Mephisto is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Silver Surfer #3, and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema and based on Mephistopheles: a demon character from the Faust legend, who has sometimes been referred to as Mephisto. Introduced as a recurring adversary of the Silver Surfer and Ghost Rider, Mephisto has also endured as one of Spider-Man's most prominent adversaries, being responsible for Norman and Harry Osborn's respective transformations into the Green Goblin and Kindred; and for the superhero's loss of his marriage to Mary Jane Watson, considering their future daughter Spider-Girl his archenemy. Mephisto has often come into conflict with Doctor Strange, Doctor Doom, Scarlet Witch and other heroes of the Marvel Universe, being responsible both for the creation of the Cosmic Ghost Rider and the descents of Phil Coulson and Otto Octavius into villainy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Mastermind is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly as an adversary of the X-Men. The original Mastermind was a mutant with the psionic ability to generate complex telepathic illusions at will that cause his victims to see whatever he wishes them to see. He was a founding member of the first Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and later a probationary member of the Lords Cardinal of the Hellfire Club, where he played an important role in "The Dark Phoenix Saga".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siryn</span> Fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics

Siryn is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Steve Leialoha, the character first appeared in Spider-Woman #37. Theresa Cassidy belongs to a subspecies of humans called mutants, who are born with superhuman abilities. She possesses a sonic voice providing various effects while her name refers to the Sirens of Greek mythology and their hypnotic voices. She is depicted most commonly in association with the X-Men. Theresa Cassidy is the daughter of the superhero Sean Cassidy. The character has also been known as Siryn and Banshee at various points in her history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belasco (Marvel Comics)</span> Comics character

Belasco is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character's first appearance was in Ka-Zar the Savage #11; he was created by Bruce Jones and Brent Anderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">X-Factor Investigations</span> Fictional comic book agency

X-Factor Investigations is a fictional detective agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The organization was created by writer Peter David for the comic book series X-Factor. The agency first appears under the name XXX Investigations in the first issue of the Marvel Comics limited series Madrox #1. In the final issue, Madrox #5, the name is changed to X-Factor Investigations, and later abbreviated XF Investigations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rictor</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Rictor is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, primarily in the X-Men family of books. The character was created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Walt Simonson and first appeared in X-Factor #17. In subsequent years, the character was featured as a member of the original New Mutants team and the original X-Force team, and continued to appear in various X-Men franchise publications thereafter. In comic books published in the 1980s and 1990s, Rictor's mutant powers were to generate and manipulate seismic energy and creating tremendously powerful vibrations in any nearby object, inducing earthquake-like phenomena and causing objects to shatter or crumble. When the character was reintroduced in 2005, it was as one of many depowered mutants adjusting to civilian life. The character remained depowered until a 2011 comic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Layla Miller</span> Fictional character

Layla Rose Miller, also known as Butterfly, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in House of M #4, and was created by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel. Peter David has developed the character, placing Layla at the center of the ensemble of mutant private detectives in his title X-Factor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azazel (Marvel Comics)</span> Marvel comics character

Azazel is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chuck Austen and Sean Philips, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #428. He belongs to the subspecies of humans named mutants, who are born with superhuman abilities. He is the father of the X-Men's Kiwi Black and was originally the father of Nightcrawler as well until that was retconned in 2023.

References