THE EXILE

Real Name: Victor Kohl

Identity/Class: Sub-species of humanity (Inhuman) mutate

Occupation: Criminal

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Colin Anderson Sixty, Alec Eiffel, Endotherm (Tom Wilkins), Liar (Marc Kumar), Lord Remaker, Mole Man (Harvey Elder), Red Peril (Abigail Burns)

Enemies: Dark Angel (Shevaun Haldane), Inhumans (Lockjaw, Medusa/Medusalith Boltagon, others), Iron Man (Tony Stark), Malekith, "Pepper" Potts, Arno Stark

Known Relatives: Rob Kohl (brother, deceased), unidentified parents (deceased), unidentified brother (deceased)

Aliases: Mandarin-Five, Nightbringer, "Vic"

Base of Operations: New York City, New York, USA

First Appearance: Iron Man V#20.INH (March, 2014)

Powers/Abilities: While interfaced with the Nightbringer Ring, Vic Kohl developed the ability to manipulate Darkforce energy, creating constructs that he could manipulate to move as he saw fit. The Mandarin's "Black Light" ring may have sought out Kohl because of his latent potential for Darkforce manipulation or it may have influenced the way the Terrigenesis process worked, granting Kohl Darkforce powers.

After undergoing Terrigenesis, Kohl developed the natural ability to manipulate Darkforce to teleport vast distances, to cover himself in shadow and to create weapons and giant creatures out of Darkforce to fight for him. It is possible that the full extent of Kohl's Terrigenesis has not been revealed (see comments).

Height: 5'10" (by approximation)
Weight: 160 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black

History: (Iron Man V#20.INH (fb) – BTS) – Victor "Vic" Kohl grew up in a family where he felt like the black sheep while his brother Rob seemed like the golden child. Vic struggled with criminal activity and drugs. After his mother left his father, he wondered at times if he was ever really part of the family.

(Iron Man V#20.INH (fb)) – Vic asked his father for money, hoping to use it for criminal activity, as Rob and Vic's other brother watched. The Terrigen Cloud passed over and everyone in the room but Vic were changed into Inhuman cocoons. Vic called 911 and authorities took the cocoons away. As he watched Medusa address the public, welcoming all Inhumans to Attilan, he began to suspect he could be adopted.

(Iron Man V#20.INH) – Two months later, a furious Vic started drinking and showed up at the Inhuman Nativity Center, where the cocoons of his family were being kept, and there, the Mandarin's fifth ring, the Nightbringer (which was temporarily sentient), sought him out and chose him as his new host form. Vic, wrapped in energies of darkness and calling himself Mandarin-Five, destroyed his family's cocoons, killing his father and brothers within while holding off the cops. Iron Man attacked and Vic wrapped him in dark energy until Iron Man broke free, wounding him. Realizing how drunk he was, Vic fled, the ring taking him far below the Earth, where he finally entered his own cocoon. Vic emerged from the cocoon as a being of darkness, more fully bonded with the ring. Medusa, with Lockjaw and her guards, found Vic, explaining that Terrigenesis works differently for every Inhuman but she then permanently exiled Vic from Attilan for his murders of his family. Vic then called himself the Exile and blamed Iron Man for his current problems.

(Iron Man V#21 (fb) – BTS) – The Exile joined with Lord Remaker, another of the ring bearers, and they began orchestrating attacks on Troy, the new city Iron Man had built. Lord Remaker made bombs that resulted in civilian deaths.

(Iron Man V#21) – A third ring bearer, Red Peril (Abigail Burns), found Exile and Lord Remaker and turned against them when she discovered Remaker had plans to kill many more civilians. Iron Man attacked and the Exile held him back with Darkforce energy while Remaker blew up a building.

(Iron Man V#22) – As Iron Man sent armored drones to help him, Red Peril joined the hero as well as Arno Stark in his own Iron Man armor. Exile formed a giant shadow-dragon around himself but he soon realized they were overwhelmed and fled.

(Iron Man V#25 (fb) – BTS) – Learning that the Asgardian dark elf Malekith was hunting down other ring-bearers (including Red Peril and Lord Remaker), the Exile teamed with Endotherm, Colin Anderson Sixty, Liar (Marc Kumar), Mole Man and Alec Eiffel.

(Iron Man V#25) – The Exile and the other ring-bearers attacked Malekith in Svartalfheim, badly beating the elf in an attempt to liberate the stolen rings.

(Iron Man V#26) – The Exile and the others kept fighting Malekith, who was soon joined by Iron Man. After a chaotic battle, Malekith surrendered the rings and fled. After the Exile wondered if they should take over Malekith's palace, the allies departed and wondered if they should keep working together.

(Iron Man V#27 (fb) – BTS) – The Exile joined Mole Man and his allies in Subterranea, where they worked on developing offensive weaponry based on the Mandarin's technology. The Exile planned on guiding missiles at various Inhuman bases, hoping to kill as many as possible. He fired at a base in New York as a test but it was intersected.

(Iron Man V#27) – In Subterranea, the Exile used his Darkforce shadows to depict Medusa getting ripped to pieces. The Exile met with his other allies, all of whom had plans of their own, and he grew angry when he learned that Mole Man hadn't even armed the weapon that had been sent to Earth. As Mole Man made plans to attack Troy, Iron Man attacked with his allies including Arno Stark, "Pepper" Potts and Dark Angel, who used magic, as well as a city-sized suit of Iron Man armor.

(Iron Man V#28) – The Exile created a giant shadow construct to fight the huge Iron Man but he was swiftly defeated. Iron Man and his allies soon retrieved the rings, leaving the villains defeated.

Comments: Created by Kieron Gillen, Agustin Padilla and Scott Hanna.

For a new super-villain, the Exile had a pretty strong introduction to the MU. He got some back story, motivations and true enemies, all while taking place in a larger storyline.

It's a bit tricky to know what Exile's specific powers are in that he was cocooned WITH the Mandarin's ring. There could be more to explore there.

Profile by Chadman.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Exile should not be confused with:

Rob Kohl

(Iron Man V#20.INH (fb) – BTS) – Rob Kohl grew up in his family with a younger brother and another brother, Vic, who was considered the black sheep with Rob was more the golden child. Vic struggled with criminal activity and drugs and wondered at times if he was actually related to the others, particularly after their mother left.

(Iron Man V#20.INH (fb)) – Rob saw Vic ask their father for money. Shortly after, the Terrigen Cloud passed over and all but Vic shifted into Inhuman cocoons. They were gathered and placed in a storage facility.

(Iron Man V#20.INH) – Two months later, Vic, using the Nightbringer ring, killed his family by destroying their cocoons.

--Iron Man V#20.INH (20.INH (fb) – BTS, 20.INH (fb), 20.INHd,

images: (without ads)
Iron Man V#26, p13, pan1 (Exile, main)
Iron Man V#20.INH, p7, pan3 (Exile, face)
Iron Man V#20.INH, p22, pan3 (with ring)
Iron Man V#20.INH, p14, pan1 (as Mandarin-Five)
Iron Man V#22, p3, pan1 (with shadow-beast)
Iron Man V#20.INH, p1, pan2 (Rob Kohl)

Appearances:
Iron Man V#20.INH (March, 2014) – Kieron Gillen (writer), Agustin Padilla (penciler), Scott Hanna (inker), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Iron Man V#21-22 (April-May, 2014) – Kieron Gillen (writer), Joe Bennett (penciler), Scott Hanna (inker), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Iron Man V#25 (July, 2014) – Kieron Gillen (writer), Luke Ross (artist), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Iron Man V#26 (July, 2014) – Kieron Gillen (writer), Joe Bennett, Luke Ross (artists), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Iron Man V#27 (August, 2014) – Kieron Gillen (writer), Cliff Richards, Joe Bennett (pencilers), Scott Hanna (inker), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Iron Man V#28 (August, 2014) – Kieron Gillen (writer), Joe Bennett, Cliff Richards, Derlis Santacruz (pencilers), Scott Hanna, Rick Magyar (inkers), Mark Paniccia (editor)

First Posted: 04/22/2020
Last updated: 04/22/2020

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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