salome-1906hfc.jpgsalome20thhc-face-takeit.jpgSALOME

Real Name: Unrevealed; 
    Salome may or may not be her real first name or surname

Identity/Class: Human (late 19th century and early 20th century);

Occupation: Unrevealed;
    member of the Hellfire Club-San Francisco chapter circa 1906

Group Membership: Hellfire Club-San Francisco chapter circa 1906 (Lord Molyneux, Cornelius Shaw)

Affiliations: Molyneux's "League of Sensitives," Sentinel of Hellfire Club-San Francisco circa 1906
    posed as an ally to Catherine and Nicola Bradley;

Enemies: Catherine and Nicola Bradley, mutants/"overmen," X-Club (James Bradley/Dr. Nemesis, Madison Jeffries, Dr. Kavita Rao, Dr. Yuriko Takiguchi), X-Men (Hank McCoy/Beast, Warren Worthington/Angel, Betsy Braddock/Psylocke)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly the Hellfire Club mansion, San Francisco, California

First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men#512 (August, 2009)

Powers/Abilities: Salome was willing to slay others to accomplish his goals. She had connections to unspecified underworld criminals/killers, and she apparently directed some of the more violent missions of the Hellfire Club employees.

    She was relatively taciturn, occasionally making a low "Mm" or "Hnn" noise in response to discussions, but she was perfectly willing and able to make direct statements, apply insults, and bark orders where indicated.

    Like the rest of the Hellfire Club of her era, she was rabidly mutaphobic, promoting the genocide of the growing "overmen" (mutants). Also, like the rest of her associates, she was hateful and arrogant.

    Salome had some experience working with advanced technology for her early 20th century era.

    She likely was extraordinarily wealthy, and she had access to all of the Hellfire Club's resources, including its warriors and their "Sentinel."

Height: Unrevealed (she was not pictured next to anyone of confirmed height; but she seemed perhaps a few inches shorter than Cornelius Shaw; perhaps 5'8")
Weight: Unrevealed (perhaps 135 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black

History: 
salome20thhc-full-distant.jpg(Uncanny X-Men#512 (fb) - BTS) - Salome served under Lord Molyneux and alongside Cornelius Shaw in a branch of the Hellfire Club based in San Francisco. Molyneux's group sought to protect humanity by eliminating the "overmen" (mutants) that they perceived to be poised to overrun and replace mankind. 

    Molyneux's "league of sensitives" (seers; presumably possessing some degree of ESP (Extrasensory Perception)) detected possible "evolutionary outbreaks," and the Hellfire Club eliminated them on their own. However, as more and more "overmen" developed, the Hellfire Club constructed an immense robot known as a Sentinel, with which they intended to eliminate overmen.

    The Sentinel required a power source, and the Hellfire Club targeted Dr. Nicola Bradley, who was in the process of developing a generator-battery that would provide "nearly infinite and wholly inexpensive wireless electricity," to produce that source. Working alongside Cornelius Shaw, Salome met with and bankrolled Bradley, investing thousands of dollars and allowing untold hours in his efforts.

    Frustrated with Nicola's lack of results, Cornelius had Salome gather a quartet of Hellfire Club agents and send them to ambush Nicola in his office in Telegraph Hill and steal the device.

(Uncanny X-Men#512 - BTS) <1906> - As Nicola dozed off while working, the Hellfire Club agents prepared to ambush him, but Nicola's wife, Catherine, entered the room and took out the four men with some sort of energy blaster.

(Uncanny X-Men#512 (fb) - BTS) - Nicola and Catherine rushed back to their home in the Mission district and contacted Cornelius Shaw immediately. Not wanting any additional attention, they did not contact the authorities.

(Uncanny X-Men#512) - The following morning, Cornelius and Salome met with Nicola and Catherine Bradley in their home, and the Bradleys told their "benefactors" of their encounter. Cornelius asked about the device's location, in response to which Nicola assured him it was safe, prompting a low "Hnn" from Salome. She remained silent, however, as Cornelius repeatedly told Nicola of his confidence in Nicola's abilities and eventual success and his organization's interest in the Bradleys' welfare.

    They were interrupted as Catherine -- having seen them via an advanced viewing device of her or Nicola's grandparents -- informed them of the approach of unidentified parties: Hank McCoy/Beast, Warren Worthington/Angel, Betsy Braddock/Psylocke, James Bradley/Dr. Nemesis, Madison Jeffries, Dr. Yuriko Takiguchi, and Dr. Kavita Rao, having traveled from over 100 years in the future in hopes of gaining blood samples from Nicola and Catherine Bradley as homo superior/mutantkind had seemed to increase markedly in number around that point in time. Salome continued to remain silent as Catherine confronted the visitors at gunpoint and insisted upon their departure, after which they left peacefully, and as Cornelius repeated his previous compliments.salome20thhc-upper-snuffed.jpg

    However, upon departing, Cornelius expressed his disgust for Nicola to Salome, after which he instructed her to bring in "her most able crimps" and to "shanghai <them> by sunset" the agents -- whoever they were, wherever you found them -- who had botched the robbery. Salome responded to his tirades twice, each time only with, "Mm."

    After a short car ride, they arrived at the Hellfire Club facility, entering the Seers' room and meeting with Lord Molyneux. When Molyneux asked about the device, Salome replied, "It did not go well, master. We failed." When Molyneux flew into a rage that set the Seers writhing and screaming in pain, Salome was visibly concerned but otherwise stood her ground. Molyneux then drew his saber and threatened Shaw's life, but Salome retained her position (behind Cornelius) with minimal concern.

(Uncanny X-Men#512 (fb) - BTS) - Having finally completed his generator-battery, Nicola summoned Cornelius and Salome to his Telegraph Hill office.

(Uncanny X-Men#512) - After Nicola's device demonstrated wireless transmission of electricity and Nicola exclaimed how it was nearly infinite and wholly inexpensive wireless electricity, Salome noted, "We'll take it."

(Uncanny X-Men#512 (fb) - BTS) - Cornelius and Salome had Nicola and the device taken to the Hellfire Club facility. Nicola was bound in a chair in the room holding the Sentinel, and Lord Molyneux was summoned.

(Uncanny X-Men#512 - BTS) - Six Hellfire Club agents invaded the Bradley's home and attempted to ambush Catherine, but she stunned one and escaped, while an arriving Angel took out the rest.

(Uncanny X-Men#512) - After Molyneux discussed the threat of the Overman and how they had tried to snuff them out, Nicola was confused with why they wanted him. Molyneux revealed the Sentinel, and Nicola, realizing the grave danger, asked where Catherine was; Salome told Nicola, "It's as Lord Molyneux told you, worm. "Snuffed." "
    However, Beast, Jeffries, and Psylocke then arrived to rescue Nicola.

(Uncanny X-Men#512 - BTS) - The generator-battery was inserted into the Sentinel, activating it, and Cornelius and Salome, as well as at least a pair of Hellfire Club agents, rode in a railed off booth area in its upper chest. The X-Men fled with Nicola.

(Uncanny X-Men#512) - As Angel and Nemesis joined the fight, Salome demanded, "More! Faster! The Overmen are fleeing!"

    Cornelius and Salome were surprised as Angel and Psylocke flew up to their booth and took out the other two agents, after which Madison Jeffries designed a device -- at Nicola's instruction -- that overloaded the generator with a powerful burst of electricity. The Sentinel exploded, and Nicola was mortally wounded by debris.
salome-hfc1906-insidesentinel.jpg
(Uncanny X-Men#512 - BTS) - Salome was not shown following the Sentinels' destruction.

Comments: Created by Matt Fraction, Yanick Paquette, and Karl Story.

    For some reason, I found Salome was an interesting character. Her mannerisms are intriguing. Not sure we'll learn much more about her, though...

    Though she kept in the background when Shaw spoke, Salome may not have been his subordinate, but perhaps his monitor, or just a silent partner, or , perhaps, someone to work the "good cop, bad cop" angle.

    It could be assumed that Salome perished in the explosion, although Cornelius apparently survived, so she could have as well.

    The story noted the X-Men/X-Club members were traveling from 103 years in the future, but that is topical, as the story came out in 2009. They traveled to 1906, and the length of time they traveled slowly increases with the passage of time due to the sliding timescale. 

    Great story, but 1906 (and specifically James Bradley's parents) as the whole point of the "igniting" of homo superior (mutant kind) doesn't make sense to me in the context of the Marvel Universe.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Salome should be distinguished from:

images: (without ads)
Uncanny X-Men#512, pg. 13, panel 1 (full body, distant);
        pg. 19, panel 2 (face; "We'll take it.");
        pg. 23, panel 2 (mostly full body, hair over face);
        pg. 24, panel 4 (upper body; "Snuffed);
        pg. 30, panel 2 (with Sentinel; "More! Faster!")

Appearances:
Uncanny X-Men#512 (August, 2009) - Matt Fraction (writer), Yanick Paquette (penciler), Karl Story (inker), Daniel Ketchum (assistant editor), Nick Lowe (editor)

First posted: 02/28/2018
Last updated: 02/28/2018

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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