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DR. MAUREEN LYSZINSKI

Real Name: Dr. Maureen Lyszinski

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Psychiatrist, former nurse

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Jack, Kitty Pryde, Rachel Summers

Enemies: Shi'ar Death Commandos (Blackcloak, Colony, Devo, Flaw, Hypernova, Krait, Offset, Sega, Shell, Warshot)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Lyszinski's office overlooking Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois

First Appearance: Mekanix#1 (December, 2002)

Powers/Abilities: Maureen Lyszinski possesses no known superhuman abilities and has all the physical strength and endurance of someone who engages in regular, moderate exercise. She is a talented psychiatrist, a trained nurse specializing in trauma surgery and critical care. As a combat veteran, she isn't easily rattled by superhuman conflict.

Height: 5'8" (by approximation)
Weight: 110 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Brown (later also blue)
Hair: Black

History:

(Mekanix#4 (fb) - BTS) - Maureen Lyszinski was a trauma nurse, specializing in surgery and critical care. Entering the US military, she served two full tours of duty as a nurse during an unspecified conflict. After the war, she returned home and got a job at a hospital. On her first day, Maureen found the mere thought of seeing blood made her freeze in her tracks. Figuring the best way to heal herself was to study psychiatry, she went back to school. During her training, she also visited a psychiatrist herself although she could never fully open up about the friends she had lost during the war.

(Uncanny X-Men I#470 (fb) - BTS) - Maureen eventually completed her training, graduating as a fully licensed doctor of psychiatric medicine from Johns Hopkins University. Going into private practice, she quickly became successful in Chicago.

(Mekanix#1) - Eventually, Doctor Lyszinski had her first appointment with Kitty Pryde, a Chicago University student assigned to her as part of an anger management program. Pryde was forced to attend sessions with Lyszinski, because she would otherwise face expulsion. Kitty was less then pleased by this, refusing to even talk during their session. When the time of their session had run out, Pryde spotted photographs of Lyszinski's wartime experiences on the wall and commented her father Carmen Pryde had seen battle. Just before leaving, Pryde explained her dad had lied about his age when he enlisted to join the marines. She then left Lyszinski's office. This encounter made Maureen doubt she could help the clearly traumatized Kitty. Calling Jack, her University of Chicago liaison, she explained she couldn't guarantee anything in Pryde's case.

(Mekanix#2) - During their second session, Lyszinski hoped to get the tight-lipped Kitty talking by bringing up her father again. Pryde shared how her father had kept everything a secret which had led to her now also keeping secrets as well. After zoning out a bit, Kitty went on to say he was a good man and wished she could have helped fix his problems, even mentioning it was her job of sorts. When their time ran out, Pryde left while Lyszinski once again feeling Pryde wouldn't open up to her.

(Mekanix#3) - After visiting her lawyer Jeryn Hogarth, Pryde turned up for her third session with Lyszinski. Maureen started the conversation by asking what Kitty meant when she said it was "her job" during their last session. To which Pryde replied she was responsible for her parents having awful fights. Lyszinski tried to rationalize this, explaining that grownups had to be the ones responsible, because she was just a child in this case. Kitty kept to herself that the problems between her parents started because they found out she was a mutant, which frustrated her to such a degree she started to tear up and wanted to run off. After Maureen offered her a much needed tissue, Kitty went on to blame the Purity website for her having to attend these anger management sessions in the first place. As their time had run out Lyszinski tried to establish she would understand whatever was going on. Pryde however left after saying it was better to deal with things alone.

(Mekanix#4) - During their fourth session, Pryde hoped to evade Lyszinski's probing queries, instead asking Maureen about her service during the war. Lyszinski felt she could trust Pryde and indulged the question. She revealed how the loss of fallen friends had plagued her in times past, which was something she hadn't ever been able to talk to her own shrink about. When their session was done, Kitty wanted to leave without having opened up herself. When Maureen confronted her with this, Pryde mentioned she would never be her friend and left. Lyszinski grew frustrated: even though they'd gotten close enough to establish proper contact, Kitty's mental walls were still going up.

(Mekanix#5 (fb) - BTS) - Dr. Lyszinski did some research on Kitty Pryde and noticed that with her transcripts she could've gotten admitted to any high ranking school in the country. This made her wonder why she would even stay in a school that had forced her to undergo anger management training.

(Mekanix#5) - When Pryde and Lyszinski's fifth session started, Maureen noticed Pryde was once again feeling less than talkative. She asked why she even bothered to show up for their talks anymore. After revealing she had checked Pryde's college records, Kitty explained she actually wanted to stay and refused to run away again. Using her Jewish heritage as a fitting analogy for the misery she'd suffered as a mutant, Pryde explained she'd felt condemned since the day she was born. When asked how being "different" made her feel, Kitty's inner resolve gave out and she began to tear up. This resulted in another heated discussion which saw Kitty revealing her mutant abilities by phasing through Maureen. Stunned by this, Maureen did nothing but watch Kitty run off.

(Mekanix#6) - Doctor Lyszinski was reading the paper and was surprised when Kitty showed up for another session, especially because Maureen wouldn't return anymore. Pryde apologized for her behavior and Lyszinski explained she was there to look at the ugly things inside people, as well as helping them find a means to cope. The fact Kitty had returned told her how badly she was needed. Standing by the door, Kitty expressed her fear and outed herself a mutant. Lyszinski quickly corrected her, claiming she was a human being and her patient. Lyszinski vowed to help her shape her future and show her the possibilities. Trusting Lyszinski, Pryde went back to the office to resume their talks.

(X-Treme X-Men I#25) - During another one of their sessions, Lyszinski and Pryde discussed Reverend William Stryker. Pryde recalled how he had put a gun to her face and would have killed her if it wasn't for the cop who stopped him. When asked how her feelings squared off with being a superhero she thought of how her best friend Illyana and first sweetheart Colossus had died. While tearing up Pryde revealed she had quit the X-Men in the hopes of finding a better way of living.

(Uncanny X-Men I#470 (fb) - BTS) - After Rachel Summers had lost all her (extended) family (following an attack by the Shi'ar Death Commandos), Kitty Pryde arranged for her friend to see Lyszinski.

(Uncanny X-Men I#470) - Rachel Summers turned up for her first appointment with Lyszinski. Rachel told Maureen about M-Day, expressing gratitude about the fact she and Kitty Pryde were among the few mutants unaffected by the global depowering. Rachel went on to reveal she hailed from a dystopian future and had travelled back to prevent her world's apocalyptic fate only to find herself unable to do change anything. She talked about how the Sentinels had killed her family in her own timeline, just as the Shi'ar had more recently massacred the Greys, who she also considered her relatives. After finally letting her emotions about the loss come through, Rachel picked up a source of danger in the immediate area. Moments later, two members of the Shi'ar Death Commandos crashed through the windows of Lyszinski's office, ready to finish their assignment: assassinate Rachel.

(Uncanny X-Men I#471) - Rachel's first thought was to get Lyszinski to safety. She grabbed the psychiatrist and telekinetically flew both of them out of her office. Shocked by Rachel's immense show of powers, Maureen asked what she was doing to the "aliens", since the Death Commandos seemed preoccupied with fighting thin air. Rachel told her she was messing with their minds, after all that's what she did for a living. Before too long Rachel and Lyszinski where struck in midair by a Shi'ar starship in orbit of Earth. Unable to stay aloft, Rachel and Maureen crashed on the subway tracks just as a train was approaching. People waiting for the subway helped Maureen get on to the platform. Lyszinski in turn helped Rachel get to safety in the nick of time. Maureen then stood by as another group of Shi'ar Death Commandos arrived to finish the job. In the end, Rachel Summers defeated the alien warriors with the help of the X-Men and Sentinel Squad O.N.E.

(Uncanny X-Men I#472 - BTS) - Lyszinski's office was apparently restored.

(Uncanny X-Men I#472) - Lyszinski had another session with Rachel Summers, however this time only a telepathic projection she broadcasted from Xavier's School.

Comments: Created by Chris Claremont (writer), Juan Bobillo (pencils) & Marcello Sosa (inks).

In her first appearance she was called Lyzinski, in all other appearances she was called Lyszinski.

Profile by MarvellousLuke

CLARIFICATIONS:
Dr. Maureen Lyszinski has no known connections to


Jack

Jack was most likely Maureen's assigned liaison with the University of Chicago. He would refer students to her in need of counseling.

 

--Mekanix#1 - BTS


images: (without ads)
Mekanix#1, p4, pan3 (main image)
Mekanix#1, p5, pan7 (closeup)
Mekanix#1, p5, pan2 (in the army)
Uncanny X-Men I#470, p21 (discovering Kitty is a mutant)


Appearances:
Mekanix#1 (December, 2002) - Chris Claremont (writer), Juan Bobillo (pencils), Marcello Sosa (inks), Andrew Lis (editor)
Mekanix#2 (January, 2003) - Chris Claremont (writer), Juan Bobillo (pencils), Marcello Sosa (inks), Andrew Lis (editor)
Mekanix#3 (February, 2003) - Chris Claremont (writer), Juan Bobillo (pencils), Marcello Sosa (inks), Andrew Lis (editor)
Mekanix#4 (March, 2003) - Chris Claremont (writer), Juan Bobillo (pencils), Marcello Sosa (inks), Andrew Lis (editor)
Mekanix#5 (April, 2003) - Chris Claremont (writer), Juan Bobillo (pencils), Marcello Sosa (inks), Andrew Lis (editor)
Mekanix#6 (May, 2003) - Chris Claremont (writer), Juan Bobillo (pencils), Marcello Sosa (inks), Andrew Lis (editor)
X-Treme X-Men I#25 (July, 2003) - Chris Claremont (writer), Igor Korney (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Mike Raicht (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#470 (May, 2006) - Chris Claremont (writer), Billy Tan (pencils), Jon Sibal (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#471 (June, 2006) - Chris Claremont (writer), Billy Tan (pencils), Jon Sibal (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#472 (July, 2006) - Chris Claremont, Tony Bedard (writers), Chris Bahalo (pencils, inks), Jon Holdredge Irwin, Jaime Mendoza, Victor Olazaba, Sean Parsons, Tim Townsend, Al Vey (inkers), Mike Marts (editor)


First Posted: 01/21/2016
Last updated: 01/21/2016

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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