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MAGUS

Real Name: Magus

Identity/Class: Techno-organic extraterrestial (Technarchy)

Occupation: Director of the Facility; former monarch of the Technarchy on Kvich

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: S'ym, various unidentified limbo demons, Warlock, his employees

Enemies: Chi-Chee, Hope, Lilandra Neramani, New Mutants (Cannonball/Sam Guthrie, Cypher/Doug Ramsey, Karma/Xi'an Coy Manh, Magik/Illyana Rasputin, Magma/Amara Aquila, Danielle Moonstar, Sunspot/Roberto Da Costa, Warlock, Wolfsbane/Rahne Sinclair), Psicops, Psimon, Serval Industries, Starjammers (Binary/Carol Danvers, Ch'od, Corsair/Christopher Summers, Hepzibah, Raza Longknife), Charles Xavier, X-Factor (Danger, Gambit/Remy LeBeau, Polaris/Lorna Dane, Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff), X-Men (Colossus/Piotr Rasputin, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner, Rogue/Anna Marie)

Known Relatives: Tyro (adoptive grandson), Warlock (son), unidentified offspring (deceased)

Aliases: "Siredam" (official title), "Lemar Smaug" (assumed human name),  "Slowpoke"  (nickname used by Rogue)

Base of Operations: The Facility, Houston, Texas;
                                  formerly the bottom of the ocean;
                                  formerly an unidentified alien planet;
                                  formerly Otherplace (limbo);
                                  formerly mobile on Earth;
                                  formerly planet Kvich

First Appearance: New Mutants I#18 (August, 1984)

Powers/Abilities: Like all members of the Technarchy, Magus is a techno-organic being without true form who possesses all the powers and abilities common to his race. However, as its undisputed leader, Magus' powers are far greater than most of the other techno-organics under his rule. He can instantly change his shape to resemble both man and machine. Drawing molecules from an unknown source, he can increase his volume to grow to massive sizes (he once expanded to 0.5 astronomical units, which is roughly 45 million miles). Magus can generate lifeforms to protect his form, these anti-bodies seemingly function on their own. At full power, Magus possesses sufficient strength to rend an entire star in half and hurl part of it through space. When he is in roughly human-sized form, Magus is more vulnerable to damage, though his resistance to injury is still far greater than that of the average human. His techno-organic physiology allows him to survive in space and enter hyperspace under his own power to travel between star systems. He can infect others with his transmode virus, either to feed off their bio-energy or turn them into a techno-organic as well. Magus is driven by his race's instinctual imperative to hunt down and fight his firstborn son. Magus possesses a limited form of telepathy that allowed him to learn English by picking it up from the X-Men he encountered when he first landed on Earth. In the past, Magus was cruel and ruthless, caring very little for those around him. In recent times, perhaps through the human influence introduced to his coding by Douglock, he has become less violent, even setting aside his genetic disposition of father killing son.

Height: (Human form) 6'0" (usually variable)
Weight: Variable
Eyes: Black
Hair: None

History:

(New Mutants I#21 (fb) ) - The Magus was the leader of his race the Technarchy. Because he feared he would be killed and replaced by one of his own children, as was the custom among his race, he decided he would honor his people's tradition by fighting his offspring moments after they were "born". He destroyed all but one of them within seconds. Only his son, Warlock, was able to flee. Pleased that it would at least be a challenge, Magus gave chase.

(New Mutants I#18) - For an unrevealed period of time Magus kept chasing his son through the cosmos, enjoying the hunt as he went along. When he located Warlock on a planet in a remote star system, he decided to announce his presence by growing large enough to rip the sun in half and throw part of the dying star at his son who spotted his gigantic father in the sky. The planet was destroyed, but Warlock escaped so they could continue the hunt. With a grin, Magus assured his fleeing son he would face him in the end and then he would take the life he'd given him.

(New Mutants I#19) - Magus and Warlock's cat and mouse game across space brought them close to the Starjammers. The band of freebooters were astonished when their ship's instruments picked up two unique energy signatures. While Warlock's energy potential was deemed a match for the Starjammer itself, they were stunned to find Magus' power eclipsed those readings. They were fearful for their friends on Earth when the ship's major domo Waldo concluded the two unknown entities were on a direct course for the Sol system.

(New Mutants I#21 - BTS) - Desperate and tired, Warlock spotted Earth and decided to hide there to replenish his energies. He accidentally crashed into Asteroid M, destroying Magneto's base and forcing the master of magnetism to scramble to Earth.  Warlock eventually reached Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, seemingly drawn towards it because of the unique energy signature given off by the school's Shi'ar based equipment. He eventually befriended the New Mutants and their mentor Charles Xavier, telling them of his past and the coming of the Magus.

(Uncanny X-Men I#192) - Magus finally tracked down his son to Earth, homing in on his lifesigns the drained and tired Magus crashed in the woods near the X-Men's headquarters. His arrival, signaled by a bright light, was witnessed by Colossus, Nightcrawler and Rogue who were in the middle of an impromptu late night outside training session.

(Uncanny X-Men I#192 - BTS) - Desperate to restore his energy resources, Magus used his transmode virus to infect and drain a tree and a deer. When the X-Men spotted their metal, lifeless husks they figured out they were dealing with the Magus that Warlock had been warning them about. Rogue flew ahead to an abandoned mansion where she briefly tussled with their techno-organic quarry.

(Uncanny X-Men I#192) - Nightcrawler and Colossus teleported in to join the fight, with Colossus dropping a chimney on Magus before pounding him relentlessly. Magus easily recovered, grabbing Colossus and squeezing the life out of him. He was pleased to learn his opponents were aware of Warlock and planned to turn them into techno-organic converts who would lead him to his son. Nightcrawler decided to intervene by teleporting part of Magus' form away. This sudden, catastrophic dislocation caused Magus to release Colossus. Rogue then engaged Magus again, relying on her 7th sense to avoid his attacks. She noticed he was glowing less brightly, correctly deducing his energy levels were running low. She then decided to use her absorption powers on him, kissing the techno-organic to drain his energies even further. Magus still proved too powerful and sent a partially transformed Rogue flying away. Her teammates went after her, which gave Magus the chance to leave and lick his proverbial wounds. Turning into a massive, ghostlike apparition he informed the X-Men he could easily destroy them, but he would allowed them to live because they had fought well and their courage amused him. However, he did warn them his patience was limited. He demanded they would deliver Warlock to him soon, or suffer the consequences.

(Uncanny X-Men I#192 - BTS) - Magus left the scene, looking for a suitable disguise he spotted an approaching police patrol car. When the officer got out, and briefly interacted with the X-Men, Magus turned himself into a convincing duplicate of the vehicle.

(Uncanny X-Men I#192) - As soon as the policeman got back to what he thought was his car, Magus drained him of his life energy. Sufficiently restored, Magus shifted into a common human form, contemplating his next move. He had telepathically picked up enough from the X-Men and his victim to realize Earth was an exceptional planet, a hotbed of celestial shenanigans and one of the few worlds to defeat Galactus. Careful after having nearly been defeated by the mutant X-Men, he vowed to prepare for his next confrontation with his son, even expressing pride that Warlock had chosen such worthy companions to fight on his behalf. Still, Magus was convinced he would triumph in the end.

(New Mutants I#37 (fb) - BTS) - Facing the omnipotent Beyonder who wanted the New Mutants dead reminded Warlock of his equally lethal father Magus. The memory of his progenitor caused the techno-organic youth to access unsuspected energy reserves that briefly managed to stun even the one from beyond.

(New Mutants I#46) - Magus kept close tabs on the whereabouts of his son. Shortly after the Morlocks were massacred by the Marauders, Warlock got exceptionally concerned when his scanners picked up his father's energy signature though he did  not explain his unusual behavior to his teammates. Magus shadowed the New Mutants as they were making their way across the abandoned Morlock tunnels to reach Karma's apartment in New York City. There, they met Karma and Illyana who had narrowly escaped a Marauders boobytrap. However, Warlock was then alarmed when he sensed his father's nearness. He grabbed his teammates and returned to the Morlock tunnels with them, shifting into a tank before chickening out and trying to vanish altogether. Seconds later, the Magus made his presence known and grabbed all the New Mutants with his techno-organic tendrils. However, before he could infect them with the transmode virus, Magik teleported her friends to limbo. Annoyed but unrelenting, Magus vowed to hunt them down.

(New Mutants I#47) - Magus somehow found a way to limbo, attacking the New Mutants just as they were catching their breath. Unprepared for his arrival, Magik had her loyal limbo demons, among them S'ym, attack the massive techno-organic. He easily infected them and drained their life essences to add to his power. The New Mutants only managed to escape him thanks to Karma briefly possessing Magus' mind, long enough for Illyana to teleport them away.

(New Mutants I#47 - BTS) - With Magus seemingly stuck in limbo, the New Mutants found themselves in ancient Scotland. There, they recuperated and Warlock finally decided it was time to face his father. The New Mutants decided to stand by their teammate and accompanied him back to limbo.

(New Mutants I#50 (fb) - BTS) - Still trapped in limbo (see comments), Magus quickly infected the likes of S'ym with the transmode virus, turning them into his servants.

(New Mutants I#50 (fb) ) - Magik's mad dash teleport action to escape Magus caused the New Mutants to be split up, lost in past and future times. Illyana herself decided to return to limbo to reclaim her power. She was confronted by S'ym and more of her former servants who tried to assault her. In the end, Illyana was forced to leave her Soulsword behind in limbo as a sign of her dominance. The presence of the sword would banish all of Magus' influence from her realm.

(New Mutants I#50 - BTS) - Without her demonic essence, Illyana figured she would die, her last thoughts being of her old mentor Charles Xavier. That's when her mutant teleportation powers kicked in and brought her to an alien fringeworld Xavier and the Starjammers happened to be visiting. Charles telepathically sensed his former student and rescued her from the local slave traders. Once on board the Starjammer, she filled him, Lilandra and the Starjammers in on the current affairs on Earth. After hearing about his students' recent ordeals, Xavier decided to get involved. Taking Lilandra and Binary with him, he telepathically enhanced Illyana's teleportation skills, so they would be able to rescue the New Mutants.

(New Mutants I#50) - As soon as Magik left with Xavier and his companions, Magus arrived on the alien freebooters planet, growing to giant size in preparation for destroying the world. A little while later, the professor returned with the New Mutants, only to find Magus was now a gigantic threat that had already fatally wounded the world. Even though Warlock valiantly tried to fight his father, the young techno-organic was no match for his overpowered father. In the end, with Xavier using his telepathy to guide the New Mutants, he had Danielle Moonstar confuse Magus with an illusion of his greatest fear, facing an adult Warlock, long enough for Karma to reach out and possess his mind. This allowed Warlock and Cypher, who had bonded, to reach Magus' physical form. Doug, through his mutant gift of language, cracked Magus' genetic code and forced the metamorph to bounce back to how he appeared back when he was in the Technarch royal creche as an infant. This would allow Warlock and the others years to really prepare for their next confrontation. But by then, they figured, they'd all be mature adults ready to deal with Magus. Until then, he rested in hibernation at the bottom of an alien world's ocean.

(Uncanny X-Men I#242 - BTS) - Rogue's previous encounter with Magus had left her impervious to the transmode virus, which the techno-organic limbo demon N'astirh discovered when he tried to infect her.

(Warlock III#7 - (fb) - BTS) - Through unrevealed ways, Magus overcame his altered programming and restored himself to adulthood. Seemingly not too concerned with finding his son Warlock (see comments) he stayed out in space, occasionally responding to the summons of Bable Spires, communication satellites erected by the Technarchy's offspring the Phalanx.

(Warlock III#8 (fb) - BTS) - The Technarchy had created the Phalanx to go out into the universe as both a plague and a source of nourishment. The Bable Spires were actually intended to signal the Technarchy that a world was ripe to be fed on before it was destroyed.

(Warlock III#7) - Magus followed the summons of a recently erected Bable Spire to an alien world where its inhabitants willingly surrendered themselves to the Pure Phalanx who had come to their planet following a recent defeat at the hands of the Shi'ar. As was to be expected, Magus judged them to be impure. He first absorbed the Phalanx energy present and then smashed the planet between his gigantic hands.

(Warlock III#8 - BTS) - Magus' son Warlock, now a merger between reanimated techno-organic matter and the lingering humanity of his onetime co-host Doug Ramsey, was involved in a complicated scheme on Earth that saw the transmode infected villain Template use the head of the cyborg Bastion to create the basis of a new Bable Spire. Despite Warlock, Wolfsbane and their allies Hope, Psimon and Chi-Chee's best efforts, the makeshift Bastion-based Bable Spire sent out a message into space.

(Warlock III#8) - Magus picked up the Spire's message, intrigued by its peculiar, mechanical cadence and the fact it originated on Earth, where he'd last fought his wayward son Warlock. Magus, finishing off the last remaining energy of the world he'd just crushed, announced he was coming to cleanse Earth and destroy his child. Moments after Warlock, with the aid of his allies, Spider-Man and the Avengers, had destroyed the Spire, Magus arrived on Earth.

(Warlock III#9) - Warlock immediately engaged Magus, who was disappointed when he sensed his child's Technarch purity was tainted by this world and deemed him a hybrid abomination that needed to be purged. Warlock held his own in combat, even biting off one of Magus' arms, though he was unaware this was a ploy of his sire. The limb contained a variation of the virus Doug Ramsey had once used to devolve Magus. As he watched Warlock grow younger, the gigantic Magus cackled to himself they were fools to have ever handed him as powerful a weapon as the virus. Giving Warlock some time to recover, Psimon got his sister Psiren to get their lackeys the Psicops to attack Magus. Psiren then used the distraction to teleport the ailing Warlock and his friends away, appearing in Egypt. Magus soon caught up with them, but the restored Warlock had come up with a plan. Shifting into an Allosaurus and merging with the matter transmuting girl Hope, he allowed Psimon and the Psicops to launch them straight into the Magus' mouth. Once inside Magus, it didn't take long for Hope to use her powers to alter the techno-organic's cellular structure, shifting him into a copy of his altered, hybrid son's. Now infused with a semblance of Doug Ramsey's humanity, the Magus found himself overcome with both a personal identity crisis and the overwhelming influx of human emotions his systems could not cope with. He fled the scene before the Psicops could fully drain his energies.

(X-Force III#2 (fb) - BTS) - So overcome by his experiences, Magus decided to retreat to a nigh-comatose state of hibernation on the ocean floor to process his recent experiences.

(X-Force III#2) - Bastion, having learned of the Magus' location, led a submarine team to collect samples of the Magus' spawn. He used them to resurrect several of the X-Men's most hated opponents, among them William Stryker and Cameron Hodge. They were revived as transmode-operated members of the Human Council.

(All-New X-Factor#5) - Magus eventually awoke from his hibernation in a decidedly different state. Now no longer ruled by his species' genetic desire to kill his offspring, he sought out and made amends with Warlock who came to work for him in a new information technologies company Magus operated as Lemar Smaug outside of Houston, Texas. Magus' company soon became the bitter rival of Serval Industries. The company's president Harry Snow eventually sent in X-Factor, a team of mutants on the company payroll, to investigate his competitor. X-Factor was understandably shocked to find "Lemar Smaug" was actually the Magus and they were even more stunned to learn Warlock was now happily working with his father. X-Factor was summarily booted out.

(All-New X-Factor#6) - Magus was disappointed in his son when X-Factor returned with the newly revived Doug Ramsey in an attempt to free Warlock from his father's perceived influence. Seeing his old friend made Warlock harken back to their days as superheroes, that and the fact he'd become infatuated with X-Factor's Danger, made him resign his commission. Though Magus was initially furious, he quickly accepted his son's choices and allowed X-Factor and the others to leave. Figuring Magus technically hadn't committed any crimes or was at fault in any way, all the humans who worked for him did so willingly, X-Factor left the techno-organic former monarch to his own devices.

Comments: Created by Chris Claremont (writer), Bill Sienkiewicz (pencils & inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)

Just why Chris Claremont would name Magus and his son after the Jim Starlin creations always eluded me. Also: why the X-Men did nothing to hunt down a techno-organic menace, as infectious as the Brood and strong enough to rip apart the planet is beyond me.

It's never been explained how Magus was able to find and travel to limbo, just as it wasn't made clear why he was apparently stuck there for days if not weeks before the New Mutants returned to Illyana's realm.

Just why Magus never bothered to check if Warlock was still around after he recovered from being turned into an infant in New Mutants I#50 has never been made clear. Perhaps he subconsciously sensed his "real" son was dead by then (killed on Genosha during the X-Tinction crossover).

Magus received a profile in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#8.

Profile by Norvo.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Magus should not be confused with

images: (without ads)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#8, p3, pan1 (main image)
New Mutants I#18, p12, pan5 (throws half a star at his son)
New Mutants I#50, p24&25 (dwarfs a planet)
Uncanny X-Men I#192, p18, pan2 (drained by Rogue)
Warlock III#9, p4, pans1,2 (disappointed in Warlock)
All-New X-Factor#6, p19, pans3&4 (not pleased with Warlock)

Appearances:
New Mutants I#18 (August, 1984) - Chris Claremont (writer), Bill Sienkiewicz (pencils & inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
New Mutants I#19 (September, 1984) - Chris Claremont (writer), Bill Sienkiewicz (pencils & inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
New Mutants I#21 (November, 1984) - Chris Claremont (writer), Bill Sienkiewicz (pencils & inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#192 (April, 1985) - Chris Claremont (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
New Mutants I#37 (March, 1986) - Chris Claremont (writer), Mary Wilshire (pencils), Bill Sienkiewicz (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
New Mutants I#46 (December, 1986) - Chris Claremont (writer), Jackson Guice (pencils), Kyle Baker (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
New Mutants I#47 (January, 1987) - Chris Claremont (writer), Jackson Guice (pencils), Kyle Baker (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#242 (March, 1989) - Chris Claremont (writer), Marc Silvestri (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Warlock III#7 (April, 2000) - Louise Simonson (writer), Pascual Ferry (pencils), Mark Morales, Harry Candelario & Al Milgrom (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Warlock III#8 (May, 2000) - Louise Simonson (writer), Pascual Ferry (pencils), Mark Morales (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Warlock III#9 (June, 2000) - Louise Simonson (writer), Pascual Ferry (pencils & inks), Mark Morales & McAdoo (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
X-Force III#6 (October, 2008) - Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost (writers), Clayton Crain (pencils & inks), John Barber (editor)
All-New X-Factor#5 (May, 2014) - Peter David (writer), Carmine Di Giandomenico (pencils & inks), Jordan D. White (editor)
All-New X-Factor#6 (June, 2014) - Peter David (writer), Carmine Di Giandomenico (pencils & inks), Jordan D. White (editor)

Last updated: 12/10/15

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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