The Adversary is a demonic
supervillain
A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...
appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
s published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
.
Publication history
The Adversary first appeared in ''
Uncanny X-Men
''Uncanny X-Men'', originally published as ''The X-Men'', is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the List of X-Men comics, X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of super ...
'' #188 (December 1984), and was created by
Chris Claremont
Christopher S. Claremont (; born November 25, 1950) is an English-born American comic book writer and novelist. Claremont is best known for his 16-year stint on ''Uncanny X-Men'' from 1975 to 1991, far longer than that of any other writer,Clarem ...
and
John Romita Jr.
Fictional character biography
The Adversary is a demon who was initially summoned by the
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...
member
Forge
A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to the ...
several decades ago and has since come back to antagonize the X-Men and threaten the world.
During the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
, Forge saw his company slain by the
North Vietnam
North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; ; VNDCCH), was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty fully recognized in 1954 Geneva Conference, 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it o ...
ese. Forge summoned the Adversary to destroy the attackers, but then regained his senses and banished the demon. Nevertheless, the Adversary had a foothold on the Earth thanks to Forge's actions.
Years later, Forge's mentor Nazé was killed and his form and memories stolen by a
Dire Wraith
The Dire Wraiths are a fictional extraterrestrial species appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and IDW Publishing. The Dire Wraiths are the main opponents of Rom the Space Knight.
Publication history
The Dire Wraiths firs ...
, an alien parasite. The Nazé impostor summoned the Adversary, only to be destroyed by the demon. The Adversary was then able to escape the dimension to which he was bound, capturing Forge and his ally,
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstor ...
of the X-Men, and imprisoning them in
Roma's stronghold.
The Adversary then travelled to
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
and battled the combined forces of the X-Men and
Freedom Force in "
The Fall of the Mutants". Ultimately, the only way to permanently banish the Adversary was for nine souls to sacrifice themselves in a magical spell. The X-Men agreed, and Forge cast the spell. The X-Men died, but Roma secretly revived them.
The Adversary later returned to Earth, having been physically born, but was again banished by Forge, who was at the time affiliated with
X-Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...
.
In ''
Fear Itself'', Adversary attends the Devil's Advocacy to discuss the
Serpent's actions on Earth.
The Adversary possesses Forge in ''
Cable and X-Force'', but is trapped in a mind prison in Dr. Nemesis' subconsciousness.
Powers and abilities
The Adversary is a powerful demon of the highest order and possesses vast supernatural powers. He is virtually invulnerable to anything but the most powerful magic and iron. He has superhuman strength and endurance.
He can enter and leave different planes of existence and dimensions at will and has reality-warping powers. He can also summon demons and other supernatural creatures to do his bidding.
In other media
The Adversary appears in the ''
X-Men '97
''X-Men '97'' is an American animated television series created by Beau DeMayo for the streaming service Disney+, based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the X-Men. It is a revival of '' X-Men: The Animated Series'' (1992–1997) produced b ...
'' two-part episode "Lifedeath", voiced by
Alison Sealy-Smith
Alison Sealy-Smith (born 1959) is a Barbadian-born Canadian actress best known for her role as Storm in various Marvel animated TV series.
Early life and education
Smith was born in Bridgetown, Barbados and raised in Toronto. She attended Mount ...
.
[ A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.] This version is an owl-like demon who feeds on negative emotions.
References
External links
*
*
Adversaryat Comic Vine
{{John Romita Jr.
Characters created by Chris Claremont
Characters created by John Romita Jr.
Comics characters introduced in 1984
Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds
Marvel Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability
Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength
Marvel Comics demons
Marvel Comics male supervillains
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