ANTOINELLE ARCENAUX

Real Name: Antoinelle Arcenaux

Identity/Class: Human magic user;

Occupation: Bokor (voodoo practitioner of black magic

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Gambit, Sagbata (and the other Vodū gods);
    formerly controlled an army of zombies, including Emery Arceneaux and Dan Down

Enemies: Det. Noreen Tanaka;
    formerly Brother Voodoo, Gambit

Known Relatives: Emery Arcenaux (nephew)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Ashack in the bayou (in an inlet beyond the Ramsey plantation, heading toward Saint Tammany parish) outside New Orleans, Louisiana

First Appearance: Gambit IV#7 (April, 2005)

Powers/Abilities: Atoinelle is a Bokor, calling on the power of the Vodū, for various purposes, such as reanimating the dead as zombies under her control.

History:
(Gambit IV#7 (fb) - BTS) - Antoinelle grew up in the New Orleans bayou, never having or needing money, but instead surviving by catching food and making whatever she needed. Her nephew, Emery, came to live with her (and she became his guardian), and she attempted to maintain discipline with strict orders, and sometimes slaps when words failed.

(Gambit IV#9 (fb) - BTS) - Antoinelle was known for "cutting up goats and chickens, and having weird moonlight ceremonies...you know...voodoo stuff."

(Gambit IV#7) - Antoinelle walked in on Emery while he was still in costume and hiding a recently stolen stash of money he had obtained by using his mutant powers. She slapped him and condemned his behavior, but he refused to listen to her, grabbed a bag, and moved out.
    Emery robbed  the Louisiana Unified Saving bank but was talked down by Gambit, only to be shot in the back and killed by New Orleans Police Department's corrupt Detective Noreen Tanaka.

(Gambit IV#9 (fb) - BTS) - Antoinelle freaked out upon seeing Emery's dead body in the morgue, and she made a number of threats.

(Gambit IV#7) - Not long after, Antoinelle called on the power of "Semedi Congo Loa (presumably Sagbata/Baron Samedi) and reanimated Emery and the rest of New Orleans' corpses as zombies, intending to gain vengeance for Emery's death.

(Gambit IV#8) - Zombies rampaged through New Orleans. Gambit joined Brother Voodoo in protecting the civilians from the zombies. The pair made short work of many of the zombies, but Gambit was stunned upon seeing that one of them was his old, recently deceased friend, Dan Down. Antoinelle then directed Emery to kill Gambit, whom she believed responsible for his death.

(Gambit IV#9) - Unable to penetrate Emery's force field, Gambit and Brother Voodoo fled. One of Emery's blasts shattered some nearby masonry, and Gambit pushed Antoinelle to safety, unaware that she was the one controlling Emery. As Emery and the other zombies continued pursuing them, Gambit collapsed a building on them to delay him. When Brother Voodoo recommended they take out whoever was controlling Emery, Det. Tanaka advised them to check out Antoinelle Arcenaux and gave them her address.
    Traveling by speedboat, Gambit and Brother Voodoo arrived at the Arcenaux shack, where Brother Voodoo summoned alligators, snakes, and even plant-life to take out the zombies. Gambit tried to reason with Antoinelle, but she ordered Emery and the other zombies to kill him. Emery punched Gambit and started to strangle him, but Gambit -- rather than kill Antoinelle (as she may have wished) to stop the zombies -- threw a charged card that knocked the gun from the hands of Det. Tanaka, who had followed and intended to shoot Antoinelle in the back. Gambit then convinced Antoinelle that he hadn't killed Emery, and she released control of the zombies, whom Brother Voodoo then guided back to their coffins.
    They left Antoinelle holding Emery's body.

 

Comments: Created by John Layman, Georges Jeanty, and Don Hillsman II.

    A mambo is a voodoo priestess, while a bokor is a voodoo practitioner of black magic. Raising zombies qualifies as black magic.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No KNOWN connections to:

images: (without ads)
Gambit IV#7, p1, panel 2 (full body)
        last page, panel 1 (face)

Appearances:
Gambit IV#7-8 (April-May, 2005) - by John Layman (writer), Georges Jeanty (penciler), Don Hillsman II (inker), Stephanie Moore & Sean Ryan (assistant editors), Mike Marts (editor).
Gambit IV#9 (June, 2005) - by John Layman (writer), Georges Jeanty (penciler), Don Hillsman II (inker), Sean Ryan (assistant editors), Nick Lowe (associate editor), Mike Marts (editor).

Last updated: 07/24/07

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Back to Characters