Feral (Maria Callasantos) is a character 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 ...

. Created by

Rob Liefeld Robert Liefeld (; born October 3, 1967) is an American comic book creator. A prominent writer and artist in the 1990s, he is known for co-creating the character Cable (comics), Cable with writer Louise Simonson and the character Deadpool with wri ...

and

Fabian Nicieza Fabian Nicieza (; December 31, 1961) is an Argentine-American comic book writer and editor who is best known for his work on Marvel titles such as ''X-Men'', '' X-Force'', ''New Warriors'', ''Nomad'', ''Cable'', '' Gambit'', '' Deadpool'' and ' ...

, she first appeared in ''

The New Mutants The New Mutants may refer to: *''New Mutants The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teena ...

'' #99 (March 1991). Feral belongs to the subspecies of humans called

mutants In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It i ...

who are born with superhuman abilities. She has feline features and superhuman attributes and most often appears in 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 ...

family of books. Feral has been both a

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

and an

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.X-Force X-Force is a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #100 (April 1991 ...

and has also been affiliated with the

Morlocks Morlocks are one of the two fictional species of post-humans created by H. G. Wells for his 1895 novel ''The Time Machine'' (the other being the Eloi). The origin of the names is not established (with regard to Wells' inspiration or inspirations ...

, the

Mutant Liberation Front The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several fictional teams and organizations and this page lists them. 0–9 198 A A-Force A-Next A.I. Army The A.I. Army is a fictional organization appearing i ...

, and the New Hellions.

Publication history

Feral debuted in ''

'' #99 (March 1991), created by

and

. She appeared regularly as a cast member in ''

X-Force X-Force is a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #100 (April 1991 ...

'' until she left the book in issue #28 (November 1993). The character would subsequently fall out of regular publication and made brief appearances in ''X-Force'' (1994, 1999), ''Quicksilver'' (1998), and '' New X-Men'' (2002). She played a supporting role in a 2007 storyline in ''

Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...

'' (vol. 3), during which she was killed. The character was briefly revived during the 2009–2010 "

Necrosha "Necrosha" is a 2009–10 comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics featuring the X-Men family of characters. In the storyline, Selene decides to utilize the techno-organic virus’s power to bring any deceased mutant back to lif ...

" event, but died again at the event's conclusion. Her ghost appeared in ''

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 ...

'' #220–224 (August–October 2011). Feral was resurrected during the 2019 "

Dawn of X "Dawn of X" is a 2019 relaunch of the ''X-Men'' line of comic books published by Marvel Comics in the wake of the twin miniseries ''House of X'' and ''Powers of X'' and is the first phase of the Krakoan Age. This initiative culminated in the cro ...

" publishing initiative and appeared sporadically in various X-Men titles published during the

Krakoan Age The Krakoan Age was a series of ''X-Men'' storylines published by Marvel Comics from 2019 to 2024. The Krakoan Age began with the Jonathan Hickman limited series ''House of X'' and ''Powers of X'' (July – October 2019) and it consists of fo ...

. When ''X-Factor'' was relaunched in 2024 as part of the " From the Ashes" publishing initiative, she joined the main cast, but was seemingly killed in issue #1 (October 2024) along with several other team members.

Fictional character biography

Origin

Maria Callasantos was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to Marcella Callasantos and an unnamed father. She is the second of four children, including her older sister Lucia, her younger brother Matteo, and her younger sister Carolina. Her father is abusive towards Marcella and abandons his family shortly after Carolina is born. He is later found dead of a drug overdose and Marcella blames the size of their family for driving him away. Maria, influenced by this, comes to blame her younger siblings for their father abandoning them. While Maria is babysitting Matteo and Carolina, Carolina falls down a flight of stairs and dies. It is left ambiguous as to whether Maria is involved in her sister's death. Later, Matteo trips and falls off of the roof of their tenement while chasing pigeons Maria keeps as pets. Maria witnesses this and it is implied that she did not try to help her brother as he hung from the building's ledge, killing him with her inaction. As with most

, Lucia and Maria's mutations develop when they begin puberty, though Maria's develops more quickly than Lucia's. Both sisters gradually gain feline features, including fur and claws. Meanwhile, Marcella begins dating Henry Bellinger, an alcoholic and cocaine addict, and soon becomes addicted to cocaine herself. Henry makes frequent sexual advances towards Lucia and Maria and eventually attempts to rape Lucia, but Maria intervenes and kills him. In retaliation, Marcella kills Maria's pet pigeons, sending Maria into a murderous rage. She kills her mother and she and Lucia run away to the tunnels under the city, joining the

and taking the names Feral and Thornn respectively.

New Mutants and X-Force

Feral is introduced in ''

'' during her attempt to escape from the despotic

Masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A mas ...

, leader of the Morlocks. She seeks refuge with the

New Mutants The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teenaged junior class at the Xavier Institute, sub ...

and warns them of Masque's plans to ignite a war with the surface, beginning with attacking their team.

Cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

fights off her pursuers and Feral agrees to join his new paramilitary group

in return for protection. Feral joins the cast of ''

'' as one of the team's founding members and helps defeat the

Brotherhood of Evil Mutants The Brotherhood of Mutants (originally known as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants) is a fictional group of mutants appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Brotherhood are among the chief adversaries of the X-Men. While the ...

when they ally with the Morlocks, dueling her sister Thornn. She appears in the 1992–1993 "

X-Cutioner's Song "X-Cutioner's Song" is a fictional crossover, crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics' in twelve parts from November 1992 to early 1993. It ran in ''Uncanny X-Men'', X-Men: Legacy, ''X-Men'' (vol. 2), ''X-Factor (comics), X-Factor'', and ...

" event, notably losing a fight with

member Wolfsbane. During a mission to rescue

Henry Peter Gyrich Henry Peter Gyrich () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a liaison of the United States government who is often opposed to the superhuman community. The character was portrayed by Matthew ...

from the

(M.L.F.), the M.L.F.'s leader, Reignfire, convinces Feral to leave X-Force and join him, preying on her resentment of Gyrich's anti-mutant bigotry. Feral serves as an operative of the M.L.F. until Thornn is arrested on suspicion of murdering their family and later rescued by X-Force from the anti-mutant group the

Friends of Humanity The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several fictional teams and organizations and this page lists them. 0–9 198 A A-Force A-Next A.I. Army The A.I. Army is a fictional organization appearing i ...

. Learning of Thornn and Feral's troubled past, X-Force confront and subdue Feral, who is arrested and imprisoned for murdering her mother, her mother's boyfriend, and her siblings. Escaping prison, Feral next appears in ''Quicksilver'' (1997–1998) as a member of a team of villainous mutants led by

Pyro Pyro comes from the Greek word πῦρ (pyr), meaning ''fire''. It may refer to: Businesses * Pyro Plastics Corporation, a plastic model kit maker 1940s through the 1970s *Pyro Studios, a computer game developer based in Madrid * NRK P3 Pyro, a N ...

. She and her teammates have been infected by the

Legacy Virus The Legacy Virus is a fictional plague appearing in American comic books featuring the X-Men published by Marvel Comics. It first appeared in an eponymous storyline in Marvel Comics titles, from 1993 to 2001, during which it swept through the mut ...

and are working for

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

and the

Acolytes An acolyte is an assistant or follower assisting the celebrant in a religious service or procession. In many Christian denominations, an acolyte is anyone performing ceremonial duties such as lighting altar candles. In others, the term is used f ...

in exchange for a cure. They fail in their mission and are left stranded in the

Savage Land The Savage Land is a fictional prehistoric land that features in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is a tropical preserve, hidden in Antarctica. It has appeared in many story arcs in '' Uncanny X-Men'' as well as other relate ...

. Later, Feral reappears in ''X-Force'' as part of the New Hellions, suffering both physically and mentally from the effects of the Legacy Virus. During a battle with X-Force, she slices

Siryn Siryn (Theresa Maeve Rourke Cassidy) 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 (April 1981). The ...

's vocal chords and retreats with the remaining New Hellions when the fight turns in X-Force's favor.

Post-X-Force

Feral is eventually cured of the Legacy Virus and joins the

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

branch of the

X-Corporation The X-Corporation (X-Corp) is a fictional institution appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men comics. This organization was created to ensure the protection of Mutant (Marvel Comics), m ...

with Thornn. Both of them lose their powers when the

Scarlet Witch The Scarlet Witch is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The X-Men #4 in March 1964, in the Silver Age of Comic Boo ...

depowers most mutants on Earth in the 2005 "

House of M "House of M" is a 2005 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of an eight-issue comic book limited series with a number of crossover tie-in books written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel. Its first i ...

" event and X-Corporation subsequently disbands. She next appears in ''

'' (vol. 3), in which she and Thornn regain their feline appearances after experimentation by the mutant geneticist

Romulus Romulus (, ) was the legendary founder and first king of Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus and his contemporaries. Although many of th ...

. Feral assists

in searching for Sabretooth, who later kills her in battle. During the 2009–2010 "

" event, Feral is resurrected with the

transmode virus A techno-organic virus (T-O virus) is a fictional virus appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. In the comics, the T-O virus transforms organic material into techno-organic material, which resembles both machinery and living ...

Selene In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Selene (; , meaning "Moon")''A Greek–English Lexicon's.v. σελήνη is the goddess and personification of the Moon. Also known as Mene (), she is traditionally the daughter ...

and

Eli Bard Bagheera Bagheera is a black panther, based upon ''The Jungle Book'' character of the same name. Nakia Bahadir Nakia Bahadir is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a Turkish girl and friend ...

. Following Selene's death, Feral dies as well, along with most of the resurrected mutants. She later appears as a ghost in ''

'' and attempts to kill the pregnant Wolfsbane. Her spirit serves as an anchor for the various gods and demons who want to use Wolfsbane's unborn Asgardian child for their own ends and she herself attacks and torments Wolfsbane until she gives birth.

Krakoan Age

During the

, Feral is resurrected by the Five and resides on

Krakoa Krakoa is a fictional living island appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It first appeared in '' Giant-Size X-Men'' #1 and was created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum. While often depicted as an antagonist, Krakoa later fe ...

alongside other mutants, including her former X-Force teammates. She becomes Marrow's roommate and the two bond over their shared history with the Morlocks. She later helps Marrow investigate mutant disappearances in

Madripoor The Principality of Madripoor or Madripoor is a fictional island appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The island is depicted as being located in maritime Southeast Asia, and has appeared mostly associated with stories fro ...

and fight the anti-mutant organization Homines Verendi. Feral is captured by the anti-mutant terrorist group

Orchis ''Orchis'' is a genus in the orchid family (Orchidaceae), occurring mainly in Europe and Maghreb, Northwest Africa, and ranging as far as Tibet, Mongolia, and Xinjiang. The name is from the Ancient Greek ὄρχις ''orchis'', meaning "testicl ...

during the fall of Krakoa and infected with

Warlock A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft. Etymology and terminology The most commonly accepted etymology derives '' warlock'' from the Old English '' wǣrloga'', which meant "breaker of oaths" or "deceiver". The term came to apply special ...

's transmode virus, transforming into one of Orchis' subservient techno-organic

Hounds A hound is a type of dog that assists hunters by tracking or chasing the animal being hunted. Hound may also refer to: * Dog, any dog of the subfamily Caninae Arts and entertainment * ''Hounds'' (TV series), a 2012 television comedy series set ...

. She is later rescued by Creepy Crawler and cured of the virus.

From the Ashes

After the dissolution of the mutant nation on Krakoa, Feral joins

but is seemingly killed in a nuclear power plant meltdown during a mission.

Powers and abilities

mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It i ...

, Feral possesses

superhuman The term superhuman refers to humans, humanoids or other beings with abilities and other qualities that exceed those naturally found in humans. These qualities may be acquired through natural ability, self-actualization or technological aids. ...

and feline attributes. Her powers include superhuman speed, agility, stamina, senses, and reflexes. Her regenerative healing factor allows her to heal faster than a human. She has sharp claws, fangs, and a

prehensile tail A prehensile tail is the tail of an animal that has Adaptation (biology), adapted to grasp or hold objects. Fully Prehensility, prehensile tails can be used to hold and manipulate objects, and in particular to aid arboreal creatures in finding and ...

. She loses her powers after M-Day, but

' genetic experiments later restore her feline appearance. Feral completely regains her powers after she is resurrected on

Reception

Accolades

* In 2014, ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' ranked Feral 26th in their "Let's Rank Every X-Man Ever" list. * In 2017, ''

CinemaBlend Future plc is a British publishing company. It was started in 1985 by Chris Anderson. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History 1985–2012 The company was founded by Chris Anderson as ...

'' included Feral in their "7 X-Force Members Who Should Appear In The Upcoming Movie" list. * In 2019, ''

Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...

'' ranked Feral 16th in their "X-Force: The Deadliest Members from Marvel’s X-Men Spinoff" list. * In 2020, ''

Scary Mommy Scary Mommy is a website that produces content targeting mothers, specifically focusing on parenting, motherhood, current events, and pop culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a ...

'' included Feral in their "Looking For A Role Model? These 195+ Marvel Female Characters Are Truly Heroic" list. * In 2022, ''Comic Book Resources'' ranked Feral 2nd in their " Scariest Members Of The New Mutants" list.

Other versions

Age of Apocalypse

An alternate universe variant of Feral appears in the "

Age of Apocalypse "Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 comic book crossover storyline mostly published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The ''Age of Apocalypse'' briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616 and had ramifications in the main Marvel Comic ...

" reality as a member of the

House of M

An alternate universe variant of Feral appears in the "

" reality as a member of the Brotherhood's strike force.

Ultimate Marvel

An alternate version of Feral appears in the

Ultimate Marvel Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the ...

imprint as a member of the

X-Men '92

An alternate universe variant of Feral appears in ''

X-Men '92 ''X-Men '92'' is a comic book published by Marvel Comics. Introduced as one of the many tie-in titles for Marvel's 2015 ''Secret Wars'' event, it was originally a limited series and was later published in ongoing format in early 2016. ''X-Men '92 ...

''. This version is part of a group of mutants called Rej-X. She later joins

In other media

Television

* Feral makes non-speaking cameo appearances in '' X-Men: The Animated Series''. She is one of many

enslaved on

Genosha Genosha ( ) is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is an island nation that exists in the Marvel Universe and a prominent location in the X-Men comics. The fictional nation served as an allegory fo ...

and freed by the

. An alternate version of Feral is later shown when

views the consequences of

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

's time-travelling. * Feral makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in '' Wolverine and the X-Men'' as one of the mutants escaping Genosha with Nightcrawler.

Miscellaneous

* Feral appears in the ''Wolverine versus Sabretooth''

motion comic A motion comic (or animated comic) is a form of animation combining elements of print comic books and animation. Individual panels are expanded into a full shot while sound effects, voice acting, music, and animation are added to the original artwo ...

, voiced by

Kathleen Barr Kathleen Barr is a Canadian voice actress. She is best known for voicing Marie Kanker and Kevin in ''Ed, Edd n Eddy'' and Trixie Lulamoon and Queen Chrysalis in '' My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic''. She also voiced Henri Richard Maurice ...

References

External links

*
Uncannyxmen.net bio on Feral
{{Fabian Nicieza Characters created by Fabian Nicieza Characters created by Rob Liefeld Comics characters introduced in 1991 Fictional characters from New York City Fictional murderers Fictional werecats Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Marvel Comics characters with accelerated healing Marvel Comics characters with superhuman senses Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics female superheroes Marvel Comics female supervillains Marvel Comics martial artists Marvel Comics mutants New Mutants