Ahab (comics)
| Ahab | |
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From ToyBiz Packaging Art (A division of Marvel Enterprise)
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Fantastic Four Annual #23 |
| Created by | Walt Simonson Jackson Guice |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Roderick "Rory" Campbell |
| Team affiliations | Horsemen of Apocalypse Excalibur MI-13 Hounds Sentinels |
| Notable aliases | Famine |
| Abilities | Energy harpoons, Superhuman strength |
Ahab (Dr. Roderick "Rory" Campbell), a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Based upon Herman Melville's Captain Ahab but also named after Stan Lee's childhood friend Rory Campbell from Portland, Oregon, Ahab is a cyborg. Ahab's first appearance was a cameo in Fantastic Four Annual #23, as part of the "Days of Future Present" storyline.
Contents
Fictional character biography
Days of Future Past reality (Earth-811)
In his future timeline, Ahab was the master of the Hounds, mind controlled mutants who hunted down other mutants for Ahab and his masters, the Sentinels. One of the Hounds, Rachel Summers, escaped from him and eventually time travelled to the present. Ahab followed her to the past and was defeated by the X-Men, X-Factor, the New Mutants and the Fantastic Four during the "Days of Future Present" crossover.[1]
Main Universe (Earth-616)
It was later revealed that scientist Rory Campbell was the man who would become Ahab in the future.[2] Campbell learned of this in the present and tried to prevent this horrific prognostication from happening.[3] While the British team known as Excalibur was stationed on Muir Island, they captured the feral mutant Spoor, an Acolyte devoted to Magneto. Rory began to psychoanalyzing the mutant and even created a containment cell, which had amongst its security protocols, a laser web activated by bio-sensors that would react to hostile captives, the web successfully contained Spoor.[4] Unfortunately for Rory, Spoor manipulated the doctor into attacking him by using his mutant power of emitting mood-altering pheromones, seeing Rory as the aggressor, the web activated against him, the attack resulted in Rory losing his left leg.[5] Eventually Rory left Muir Island and went to work for Britain's Weird Happenings Organization (W.H.O.)[6] but he soon began to see his perceived "destiny" of becoming Ahab occurring as in order to regain a semblance of normality, Rory stole some information at W.H.O. about the deadly Legacy Virus and traded it to Sebastian Shaw of the Hellfire Club for a bionic leg.[7] When meeting the Excalibur team again Rory had left W.H.O. and was now working for Shaw Industries.[8] Later on, his now broken will left him susceptible to the manipulations of the all powerful mutant known as Apocalypse, who for unknown reasons, had chosen Rory to be one of the new cadre of Horsemen. Rory was soon afterwards genetically altered into the Horseman Famine, who resembled Ahab. As Famine, he was tasked to capture the mutant Sunfire (Sunfire was unknowingly one of the mutants collectively called "The Twelve"). During an altercation with "The Twelve", Famine and the other Horsemen were teleported away by the mutant Mikhail Rasputin, and it is unknown where they have been sent.
AXIS
During the AXIS storyline, Ahab joined the Red Skull as one of his S-Men to fulfill his role during World War Hate.[9] Ahab was present when Magneto killed the S-Men.[10]
Other versions
In the not too distant future, he captured then killed Cannonball (who is immortal).[volume & issue needed] He worked beside an armored figure, with light coming from his left eye. Due to time travel, it is not known at what point in Ahab's life this was.[11]
Powers and abilities
Ahab can generate powerful energy harpoons that are formed from, and attached to, his own life force. Anyone who attempts to grab a harpoon gets burned. Each harpoon is keyed to its target's genetic structure, and cannot be moved or deflected by energy; it only stops when it strikes its target, or a close blood relative thereof. A hit from one of these harpoons can kill or seriously injure the target. A person who survives finds their neural pathways burned out and unable to move.
Ahab is a cyborg. His limbs are mostly of artificial construction and presumably this makes him superhumanly strong. So far he has found no need to engage in hand-to-hand combat due to his ability to use ranged attacks, his Hounds, and giant androids. He is largely immune to telepathic intrusion and attack, even from telepaths as powerful as Rachel Summers. Ahab's technology allows him to track, clothe and control Hounds.
As Famine, Ahab drains his victims' lifeforce resulting in emaciation and worse.
Intended origin
Ahab has the same cybernetic eye and marks over his other eye as Cable, and the same streak of silver hair as Nate Grey. It was hinted early on in "Days of the Future Present" that Cable and Ahab may be the same person, but with the introduction of Stryfe and X-Man (both versions of Cable), Marvel dropped that idea.
In other media
- Ahab appears as a boss in the Sega Genesis's first X-Men game.
- Rory Campbell/Ahab appears in the novels 'The Legacy Quest' trilogy written by Steve Lyons.
References
- ↑ Fantastic Four Annual #23, X-Factor Annual #5, New Mutants Annual #6, Uncanny X-Men Annual #14
- ↑ Excalibur (1st series) #75
- ↑ Excalibur (1st series) #80
- ↑ Excalibur (1st series) #89
- ↑ Excalibur (1st series) #90
- ↑ Excalibur (1st series) #101
- ↑ X-Men (2nd series) #63
- ↑ Excalibur (1st series) #111
- ↑ Uncanny Avengers #23
- ↑ Uncanny Avengers #25
- ↑ Cable #71
