BLACKBEARD(temporally divergent counterpart active on Earth-66881)
BLACKBEARD
(temporally divergent counterpart active on Earth-66881)
Real Name: Benjamin Grimm
Identity/Class: Temporally divergent human
mutate counterpart (former modern era, now active in 18th century)
Occupation: Pirate captain;
former adventurer
Group Membership: His own pirate crew on
Earth-66881 (Rebecca
Barnes, Cassius,
several others);
formerly the Fantastic Four
Affiliations: Blink
(Clarice Ferguson of Earth-957), Blink (Clarice Ferguson of
Earth-7946), Blink (Clarice Ferguson of Earth-8096), Blink (Clarice
Ferguson of Earth-33629), Blink (Clarice Ferguson of Earth-51518),
Blink (Clarice Ferguson of Earth-61741), Blink (Clarice Ferguson of
Earth-95099), Blink
(Clarice Ferguson of Earth-95120), numerous other Blink counterparts (see comments), Cobalt
of Earth-81111, Elendil
of Reality-22681, Exiles (Blink/Clarice Ferguson
of Earth-295, Iron Lad/Nathaniel
Richards of Earth-18651, Khan/Kamala
Khan of Earth-81111, Valkyrie
of Reality-22681, Wolvie),
Fantastic
Four, L'il Magneto, Namor of Earth-71853;
Earth-66881
natives: Capt. Mercedes Knight, the Scarlet Falcon (Capt. Sam
Wilson), his
crew
Enemies: Admiral Gyrich of
Earth-66881, Doctor Doom, the Juggernautical of Earth-66881, the
Time-Eater (temporally divergent counterpart of Earth-6311's
Nathaniel Richards)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: "Ben," "Captain," "Captain Ben," "Mister Grimm," Thing
Base of Operations: Mobile throughout the seas
of Earth-66881
First Appearance: Exiles III#4 (August, 2018)
Powers/Abilities: Like Earth-616's Thing, Blackbeard possesses a rocky hide that grants him superhuman durability and strength.
In his guise as a pirate captain, Blackbeard also
carried a saber and 18th century handgun.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 6'0")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 500 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: None
History: (Exiles III#4 (fb)) - As part of the
Fantastic Four, the heroic Thing was sent back in time alongside two of
his teammates by Doctor Doom (see
comments).
Thinking he was considered a monster in the modern era, the Thing
decided to stay in the past circa 1760 A.D., wearing a fake beard and wig as the pirate
Blackbeard, and start fresh, living his life on the open sea. Not long
after, Blackbeard learned about the slave trade present in the world
and how some good-hearted people like Cassius were fighting against the
slavery. Recruiting Cassius into his crew, Blackbeard dedicated himself
and his crew to fighting the slavery and defeating those who would
enslave
others. Over time, Blackbeard and his crew developed a reputation of
fear among slavers of the world and he began working with fellow pirate
Scarlet Falcon, forming a pirate captain triumvirate with the Scarlet
Falcon
and Capt. Mercedes Knight. A year later, during a sailing trip,
Blackbeard and his crew passed a whirlpool (almost getting sucked in)
that was emanating various colors and they called it the Rainbow
Whirlpool.
(Exiles III#4) - A day later, Blackbeard and his crew arrived on Admiral Gyrich's island to meet with the spy Cassius and found Cassius in the company of the reality-hopping Exiles. When Blink immediately recognized him as the Thing, Blackbeard remarked that Blink and her Exiles team were not from around there. When Blink admitted her story might be hard to believe, Blackbeard commented that he had been doing "hard to believe" since before she was born and he suggested she try to explain anyway. Upon hearing Blink's story about the Exiles being time travelers that were trying to stop something called the Time-Eater from destroying the Multiverse, Blackbeard claimed he had heard crazier stories and revealed how he used to be super hero but got stuck in an alternate 18th century Caribbean Sea. After listening to Blackbeard's story, Blink insisted the Exiles had to find her missing Tallus device and Blackbeard suggested they get his ship somewhere safe before discussing the Tallus. Soon learning that the Tallus might produce strange weather patterns or colors, Blackbeard became convinced the Rainbow Whirlpool his crew had earlier encountered had to be where Blink's Tallus was located. Before agreeing to help the Exiles retrieve the Tallus, Blackbeard informed Blink that his ship was on course to attack Admiral Gyrich's ship in an effort to free Gyrich's slaves and asked the Exiles' help against Gyrich first. Blink agreed to discuss the idea with the other Exiles as Blackbeard introduced the Exiles to the arriving Scarlet Falcon, another pirate captain working with Blackbeard. While they waited on the third captain of their triumvirate, Blackbeard introduced the Exiles to his first mate, Rebecca "Becky" Barnes and went below deck to speak with the Scarlet Falcon. The Exiles later ventured below deck as well to tell Blackbeard that they had agreed to help him against Gyrich and Barnes interrupted the discussion to inform them that the third captain, Capt. Mercedes Knight, was approaching. Blackbeard then discussed strategy against Gyrich with the Exiles while the Scarlet Falcon rushed off for a shave and cologning in preparation of Knight's arrival.
When Blackbeard's ship neared
Gyrich's ship, the Shield, Blackbeard
went back above deck to prepare and a few moments later, Blink
teleported Blackbeard and the Scarlet Falcon aboard Gyrich's ship to
attack. Gyrich quickly unleashed the Juggernautical, who hit Blackbeard
with a cannonball, destroying Blackbeard's pirate get up as he fell
over. Blackbeard eventually succeeded in downing the Juggernautical
and, together with his allies, defeated Gyrich and freed the slaves. He
then joined his crew in celebrating the victory until Blink reminded
him of his promise to lead them to the Rainbow Whirlpool. Gruffly
claiming he had not forgotten, Blackbeard ordered Becky Barnes to set
full sail towards the Rainbow Whirlpool. Hours later, Blackbeard and
his ship arrived at the Rainbow Whirlpool but Blackbeard warned the
Exiles about sailing into the heart of the Whirlpool. When the Exiles'
Iron Lad replied that he would keep the Exiles safe in an air bubble
generated by his armor, Blackbeard jokingly called Iron Lad Einstein
and asked what his name was again. Iron Lad re-introduced himself as
Nate Richards and Blackbeard grinned and said "Richards! And such a
know-it-all. Figures." The Exiles then departed the ship, thanking
Blackbeard for his assistance, and Blackbeard responded by thanking the
Exiles for their help against Gyrich and reminding them that they had
done a good thing that day.
(Exiles III#5) - Blackbeard was recruited alongside
the Scarlet Falcon, Capt. Mercedes Knight, Earth-71853's Namor, Earth-81111's Cobalt, L'il Magneto and a
slew of alternate counterparts of Blink to aid against the
reality-devouring Time-Eater. Yelling "It's Clobberin' Time!,"
Blackbeard participated in a large dogpile on the Time-Eater and was
transported back to Earth-66881 upon the Time-Eater's defeat.
Comments: Created by Saladin Ahmed, Javier Rodriguez and Alvaro Lopez.
This Blackbeard is a temporally divergent counterpart
of Thing (Ben Grimm) of the Fantastic Four. He diverged from his
original self due to time travel. While Blackbeard only to refers to
his past as a member of the "FF" (not mentioning any teammates or
enemies by name), the FF is surely the Fantastic Four and the villain
we see the team battling is Doctor Doom, which matches up to the
Earth-616's Fantastic Four's first battle with Doctor Doom where they
got sent back in time and Thing briefly became Blackbeard before they
all returned to the present. Despite the divergence point seeming to be
the
moment this Thing decided to stay in the past, it actually seems more
likely that he diverged and splintered from his original self during
the process of time travel, as Thing himself tells the Exiles that he
had arrived in an alternate 18th century Caribbean. This further
clarifies that the reality in which Thing stayed was an alternate 18th
century to begin with, one in which modern day heroes and villains had
counterparts
(i.e. Scarlet Falcon, Capt. Mercedes Knight, Juggernautical, Admiral
Gyrich, etc.) and not the same 18th century that Earth-616's Thing
visited. Basically, it seems several Thing counterparts diverged from
their original self during the process of time travel, this particular
one arriving in the alternate 18th century of Earth-66881 while the
original arrived in Earth-616's past and eventually returned to the
present. Since we've seen other Things as Blackbeard in other
realities, it's possible those could be other temporal counterparts
that diverged from the original as well.
The numerous Blink counterparts that teamed with Blackbeard and the Exiles against the Time-Eater were not identified by reality number in Exiles III#5 but some seemed obvious. For example, we see the arm of a Blink counterpart wearing black and white robes, which matches up with Earth-957's Blink, who became the new In-Betweener. Another wore a costume resembling the classic Earth-295 costume but with straps on the legs, suggesting the Earth-8096 Blink. There were also numerous Blink counterparts that wore costumes identical to the classic Earth-295 costume, suggesting the Earth-7964, Earth-33629, Earth-51518, Earth-61741 and Earth-95099 Blinks also being involved. While we don't see one wielding golf clubs, one of the ones wearing the classic Earth-295-style costume is likely the humorous Earth-95120 Blink counterpart. There was also one in the black "Phalanx Covenant" outfit and many wearing outfits we've never seen, mostly variations on that same Earth-295 costume. While we do see a Blink wearing the costume of the Earth-10005 X-Men: Days of Future Past movie Blink, the actual Earth-10005 Blink was dead at the time so it must be an alternate counterpart.
Profile by Proto-Man.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The temporally divergent counterpart Blackbeard has no known
connections to:
Rebecca "Becky" Barnes (of Earth-66881)
Earth-66881's Rebecca "Becky" Barnes was Blackbeard's first mate. After the Exiles agreed to help Blackbeard and his crew against Admiral Gyrich, Blackbeard had Barnes care for the Exiles while he went below deck to discuss strategy. When Becky introduced herself, the Exiles immediately noticed the similarity between this Becky Barnes and the one that had recently encountered on Earth-86315. As the Exiles' Iron Lad became worried about the team's sense of deju vu being related to realities collapsing, the Exiles' Valkyrie introduced herself to Becky and quickly began flirting with her. Later, Becky informed Blackbeard of the impending arrival of Capt. Mercedes Knight and when Becky began to comment on the Scarlet Falcon's affection for Knight, the Scarlet Falcon suggested Becky stop talking, only to excuse himself for a shave and cologning. Valkyrie then expressed hope that both herself and Becky have time for that themselves before their journey was over and Becky agreed, commenting that it would have to wait until she completed her duties in the coming battle against Gyrich. Shortly after, Blackbeard and the Exiles stormed Gyrich's ship and Becky wasn't far behind as Gyrich unleashed the Juggernautical. Following Gyrich's defeat, Becky said her goodbyes to Valkyrie as the Exiles were led to a Rainbow Whirlpool housing Blink's Tallus device and the Exiles departed to retrieve the artifact.
Becky Barnes was a skilled acrobat and carried two
daggers in battle.
--Exiles III#4
Cassius was a slave fighting against slave trader
Admiral Gyrich until he was rescued by Blackbeard and his crew, whom he
joined. As part of Blackbeard's crew, Cassius acted as a spy,
pretending to be a slave for trade among the slavers. A year later,
during one mission, he was discovered and escaped from Gyrich and his
men with vital information onto a beach, where he encountered the
reality-hopping Exiles. The Exiles managed to drive away Gyrich and his
men moments before Blackbeard arrived to meet up with Cassius.
images: (without ads)
Exiles III#4, front cover (Blackbeard, main image)
Exiles III#4, p17, pan1 (Blackbeard, unmasked headshot)
Exiles III#4, p6, pan3 (Blackbeard with his crew)
Exiles III#4, p16, pan1 (Blackbeard's normal form)
Exiles III#4, p10, pan1 (Rebecca "Becky" Barnes)
Exiles III#4, p6, pan1 (Cassius)
Appearances:
Exiles III#4 (August, 2018) - Saladin Ahmed (writer), Javier Rodriguez
(pencils), Alvaro Lopez (inks), Wil Moss (editor)
Exiles III#5 (September, 2018) - Saladin Ahmed (writer), Javier
Rodriguez (pencils, colors), Alvaro Lopez (inks), Wil Moss (editor)
First Posted: 06/03/2022
Last updated: 06/03/2022
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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