MAGGIE

Real Name: Maggie (last name unrevealed)

Identity/Class: Human mutant

Occupation: None

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: The Sheldon family (Phil, Doris, Jenny, Beth); possibly the X-Men (see Comments)

Enemies: Mankind in general

Known Relatives: Unidentified mother and father

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mobile

First Appearance: Marvels#2 (February, 1994)

Powers/Abilities: Despite her unusual appearance -- a skull-like face and large globular eyes -- Maggie displayed no special powers, although it could be that her powers had not yet developed due to her young age. Her large eyes suggested that she may have had some type of occular abilities, perhaps a heightened sense of vision or some form of energy-projection powers.

History: (Marvels#2 (fb)-BTS) - Because she was born a mutant, Maggie's father lost his job. No longer able to take care of her, Maggie's parents abandoned her and forced her to live on her own. At some point, she was living in a park where she was found by sisters Jenny and Beth Sheldon, who took the cold and hungry girl home with them and hid her in their basement.

(Marvels#2) - News photographer Phil Sheldon noticed his daughters swipping dinner table scraps for what he thought to be a stray dog or cat, but they were actually feeding Maggie.

One night, Phil returned home and saw his neighbors worked into a panic because they spotted Maggie prowling through the neighborhood. Alarmed that mutants now threatened the safety of his home, Phil ran to his house, where he discovered Maggie hiding in the basement. At first intimidated by the mutant's inhuman appearance, Phil looked into her tearful eyes and saw her for what she really was -- a sad and frightened little girl rather than a monster. Taking pity on Maggie, the Sheldon family continued to care for her, all while an anti-mutant sentiment was being spread by Dr. Bolivar Trask.

When the anti-mutant hysteria caused riots to break out (following the initial appearance of Trask's robotic Sentinels), Phil Sheldon was fearful for the safety of his wife and daughters should Maggie be discovered by enraged rioters, but his fears were soon ended under tragic circumstances -- not wishing any harm to come to the Sheldons, Maggie had run away, leaving only a farewell note, wherein she thanked the family for their kindness.

Saddened by Maggie's sudden departure, and knowing nothing of her fate, the Sheldons could only hope for the best for the forlorn little girl, another victim of mankind's senseless bigotry.

Comments: Created by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross.

The events of Maggie's story coincided with the stories depicted in Fantastic Four Annual#3 and X-Men I#14.

Artist Alex Ross based the look of Maggie on a character from EC Comics' Weird Science#20 (July-August 1953), from the story "The Loathsome" -- a tale of a young mutant girl pursued by a maddened mob.

Although Maggie's fate remains unknown, the cover of Marvels#2 depicted a scene of Maggie being saved from an angry pack of rioters by the X-Men's Angel -- possibly she was given sanctuary at Professor Xavier's school.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Profile by John Kaminski

CLARIFICATIONS:
Maggie has no known connection to:

• Great Video, G-Men foe @ Marvel Boy I#1/4
• Artie Maddicks, a young mutant @ X-Factor I#2
• Magda, mother of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver @ Avengers I#186
• Peeper, of the Mutant Force @ Captain America Annual#4